Information for Social Change Journal and Historical Archives

4

Information for Social Change

ISSN 1364-694X

Information for Social Change Number 26

Winter 2007/2008

Special Issue on
Libraries and Social Exclusion

Special Issue Editors:

John Vincent and John Pateman

Information for Social Change is an activist organisation that examines
issues of censorship, freedom and ethics amongst library and information
workers. It is committed to promoting alternatives to the dominant
paradigms of library and information work and publishes its own journal,
Information for Social Change (freely available online at http://www.libr.org/
isc). Information for Social Change is an Organisation in Liaison with the
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP).

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

Information for Social Change Number 26
Winter 2007/2008

Special Issue on Libraries and Social Exclusion

CONTENTS

Page No.

Editorial - Social Exclusion (John Vincent and John Pateman)

1

Social Exclusion - where is it going? (John Vincent)

3

Developing a Needs Based Library Service (John Pateman)

8

He didn't have to say he was gay (John Vincent)

29

Public Libraries and the Digital Divide (John Pateman)

52

Are We All Being Served (Andrew Hudson)

56

Reading Orwell in Havana (John Pateman)

62

Library Services for Newcomers to Canada: Embracing Cultural
Diversity (Kendra Bender)

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

Editorial

Welcome to the Winter 2007 edition of Information For Social Change. The
theme of this issue is Social Exclusion and the editors are John Vincent and John
Pateman.

As Head of Libraries in Lambeth, John Vincent was an early pioneer of
Community Librarianship and Outreach. John now leads the work of The Network
which is committed to tackling social exclusion via libraries, museums, archives
and cultural and heritage organisations.

John Pateman is Head of Libraries, Learning and Inclusion at Lincolnshire County
Council. Lincolnshire libraries won the Libraries Change Lives Award for services
to migrant workers in 2005.

Both editors have written and spoken extensively on issues relating to libraries
and social exclusion. They co-authored two chapters for the British Librarianship
and Information Work series (Ashgate 2006 and 2007): 'From Equal
Opportunities to Tackling Social Exclusion' (1991-2000); and 'From Social
Inclusion to Community Cohesion' (2001-05).

Both editors are recognised experts in the field of social exclusion in terms of
theory, practice and staff development. In this issue of ISC they consider
questions such as -

What is social exclusion and how is it different to social inclusion, community
cohesion and social justice?

What is the relevance of social exclusion to library services?

Are socially inclusive library services necessary in order to meet the needs of the
socially excluded?

The keynote article by John Vincent 'Social Exclusion - where is it going?'
gives a comprehensive overview of the current situation in public libraries in the
UK with regard to tackling social exclusion. John asks, why isn't this way of
working universal and what on earth can we do? He also gives some bigger
picture ideas.

Developing a Needs Based Library Service by John Pateman is one of three
articles in this issue which was written in 2005 for a planned ISC book. Although
this book did not happen, the ideas contained in these articles are still relevant
today. John defines a Needs Based Service in terms of'From each according to
their ability (staff), to each according to their needs (community).'

The second article written in 2005 is John Vincent's 'He didn't have to say he
was gay': attitudes to lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgendered

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people. John looks at the damaging legacy of Clause 28 and what successful
library provision for LGBT should look like.

John Pateman's article on Public Libraries and the Digital Divide is a very
topical overview of digital exclusion as it affects both consumers and citizens.

The People's Network was meant to help close this divide but charges for access,
internet filtering and out of date equipment and software are preventing this
from happening.

Both editors were involved in the seminal research project Open to All? Public
Libraries and Social Exclusion (MLA, 2000). This research challenged the myth
that public libraries were really open to all people. Andrew Hudson asks a similar
question in his article Are We All Being Served? His findings are that public
libraries are still significantly underused by some social and ethnic groups.

To continue the tradition of including international perspectives in each issue of
ISC, there are articles on Cuba and Canada. Reading Orwell in Havana is the
third article written in 2005, when John Pateman went to Cuba to carry out his
research into the availability of the works of Orwell and other 'banned authors' in
Cuban libraries.

The final article is Library Services for Newcomers to Canada: Embracing
Cultural Diversity by Kendra Bender. The author is a student in the MLIS
program at the School of Library and Information Studies at the University of
Alberta. This prize winning article concludes that 'the library community must
continue to embrace cultural diversity and strive to equitably meet the needs of
multi ethnic populations.'

And that is what this issue of ISC is all about - why and how public libraries
should embrace cultural diversity and equitably meet the needs of their
communities.

John Vincent

John Pateman

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Social exclusion - where is it going?

John Vincent

Introduction

There has been plenty of discussion elsewhere (including in this issue of ISC)
about the definition of social exclusion and how it relates to social justice,
community cohesion, community engagement, and other Government policies.
Elsewhere in this issue of ISC, John Pateman also draws on a range of
background information to develop his argument fora needs-based library
service.

Therefore, I thought that it would be timely to look briefly at what's going on in
public libraries in the UK and to begin to examine what some of the critical
issues are.

Tackling social exclusion in public libraries in the UK

I think that it is important to start by saying that there is a good deal of
excellent work going on to tackle social exclusion, some of it relatively short¬
lived, but some of it longer-lasting and becoming embedded in service planning
and delivery. Just to give a tiny taste of this, some examples are:

• Lancashire, Knowsley and Cornwall's work with looked-after children 111

• Suffolk Libraries' work with older people 121

• Books on Prescription schemes 131

• Lincolnshire, Norfolk and Nottinghamshire's work with migrant/guest
workers 111

• The HeadSpace projects 131

• Progress made by the "Welcome To Your Library" partner authorities in
developing services for (and with) refugees and asylum-seekers 131 .

However, at the same time, there are examples of library services that are not
taking forward this agenda, not linking to social justice work, not seeing that this
is vital work ...

So why isn't this way of working universal?

Tackling social exclusion, working towards social justice and helping to create
community cohesion should be amongst the top priorities for public library
services.

Yet these aims are not included in CILIP's current Mission Statement [CILIP,
2004] or Policy Priorities 121 , for example, and, whilst at the time of writing, MLA's
revised Action Plan for Libraries has not yet been unveiled, one of the strong
criticisms of Blueprint [Dolan, 2007] was that it was very thin on social justice.

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Is it any surprise, therefore, that library services or individual library workers
may not see these as priorities?

Working in libraries is a job that should be all about connecting and linking,
networking, communicating, solving problems, information-handling - as well as
masses more! Yet, for all that, many library staff seem very poor at making
those links and building networks, and particularly poor at communicating.

So, one of the key problems we face is the lack of sharing of good practice -
even at a basic level. People receive information (eg via newsletters, briefings,
attending courses and conferences), yet much of this information seems to
'stick' with that person, rather than being shared as widely - and appropriately -
as possible. This leads to a blinkered approach, and, often, a lack of realisation
that another library service has started to 'crack' a particular issue or has made
real headway in developing services for a specific group or community.

It is also clear that many of us are being overwhelmed by information - email is
the blessing and the curse of our age! - and do not have the time to deal with
this flow, nor, possibly, all the skills required to scan and decide immediately
what needs action, reading later or deleting (you hear of people who file
everything but read nothing!).

For years, 'library commentators' have been saying that library workers need to
become more politically aware, particularly in relation to local and community
politics, and the emphasis on this aspect of our work is growing through the
community engagement and cohesion agenda 121 - how far are all our staff
equipped to deal with the complex and controversial issues that will arise in
developing community-based services?

More fundamentally, perhaps, is the question of time and resources. Libraries
are under immense pressure to deliver high quality services, but often on
reducing budgets. Even libraries that have made real inroads into tackling social
exclusion, bringing in new users, developing new services may be facing cuts.

In many services, staffing levels are reducing, and the quality of work output
and the outcomes of that are inevitably going to suffer - what happens to a
service when it moves from having a children's specialist in every library, to
having one per district, to having a specialist for the whole authority? How can
that service pick up on and embed all the Every Child Matters 151 , Fulfilling Their
Potential [TRA, 2004] 1151 , Care Matters [DfES, 2006] 1111 , Children's Plan [DCSF,
2007], "think family" [SETF, 2008] priorities and imperatives?

At the same time, some library staff are maintaining outdated systems and
working practices 1121 , and are not making full and proper use of technology
available: does you library allow you to access blogs? Search for information
involving words that have the letters "sex" inside? Quickly download and save
large pdf files?

What on earth can we do?

• Find out what is meant by social exclusion, community engagement,
community cohesion, and look at the work that is going on already in

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libraries - use, as starting points, the resources provided by MLA 1121 , The
Reading Agency 1141 , Welcome To Your Library 1151 and The Network 1151

• Find out about, read and share existing good practice - for example,
resources provided by the National Literacy Trust 1121 , Their Reading
Futures 1151 , Welcome To Your Library [Vincent and Carpenter, 2007]

• Think about ways of sharing information with your colleagues

• Find out about your community. Some tips are available on the Welcome
To Your Library website 1151 (with planning advice and examples of project
plans). Undertake a community profile 1221 .

• Build as many partnerships with people in your local community as you
can - not only will you be able to share good practice, consult more
widely about what the library could offer, and pool expertise, but your
new partners may also have access to new resources!

• Keep positive! I know this is hard, but, as CILIP's Guy Daines is quoted as
saying "'Although action is needed over borrowing, there are many things
that libraries are getting right'." [Savage, 2008]

And here are some 'bigger picture' ideas ...

This is part of my national 'wish-list'!

• We need high-level advocacy for the role that libraries play in tackling
social exclusion (and the other Government agenda areas) - how often do
we see documents appearing which are about our core roles (eg
information), but with never a mention of libraries? Government agencies
seem to opt to ignore libraries (what, for example, has the Social
Exclusion Task Force developed in relation to libraries' work?)

• As part of this advocacy, we also need a national discussion - hopefully
leading to a shared understanding - of just what the role of libraries is,
including the part they play in these key areas of social policy. What
should our priorities be? Where does the needs-based approach fit in?

• As part of this, we need to see a re-shaping of the role that libraries play,
so, for example, there is no room for inefficient, old-fashioned routines
(and people who don't want to work with the community)

• We also need to build regional and national alliances, so that libraries
form working partnerships with other agencies, to our mutual advantage

• We need champions to speak on our behalf in a range of forums

• We need a proper development fund that will free library staff from the
current penny-pinching mentality (this isn't a criticism of the staff - who
could make something with annual budget of £300 for marketing?!) and
allow us to launch a proper, 21 st century service

• Finally, and this is a very personal note, there seems to me to be a lack of
leadership and drive from DCMS, MLA, CILIP - how can we push libraries
up the agenda and into their rightful place?

This is just a start! I hope that readers of ISC will respond to this, and, together,

we can begin to build change into the public library service in the UK.

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References

All websites were accessed on 19 January 2008.

CHIP (Chartered Institute for Library and Information Professionals) (2004)
Mission statement - what we stand for.

See: http://www.cilip.orq.uk/aboutcilip/charterMissionGoals

DCSF (Department for Children, Schools and Families) (2007) The Children's
Plan: building brighter futures. Cm 7280. TSO. Available to download as a pdf
from:

http://www.dfes.qov.uk/publications/childrensplan/downloads/The Childrens PI

an.pdf

DfES (Department for Education and Skills) (2006) Care matters: transforming
the lives of children and young people in care. Cm 6932. TSO. Available to
download as a pdf from:

http://www.dfes.qov.uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/6731-DfES-

Care%20Matters.pdf

Dolan, John (2007) A blueprint for excellence: public libraries 2008-2011. MLA.
Available to download as a pdf from:

http://www.mla.qov.Uk/resources/assets//B/blueprint v2 11233.pdf

MLA (Museums, Libraries and Archives Council) (2005) Community Profiles.
Section 2. Guidance on collection of information for community profiles. MLA.
Available to download as a pdf from:

http://www.mla.qov.Uk/resources/assets//F/fff cp section2 20050309 doc 430

3.doc

Savage, Michael (2008) "Does the decline in book lending spell the end for the
public library?", The Independent 16 January 2008, p33

SETF (Social Exclusion Task Force) (2008) Think family: improving the life
chances of families at risk. SETF. Available to download as a pdf from:
http://www.cabinetoffice.qov.uk/upload/assets/www.cabinetoffice.qov.uk/social

exclusion task force/think families/think family life chances report.pdf

TRA (The Reading Agency) (2004) Fulfilling their potential: a national
development programme for young people's library services - summary. TRA.
Available to download as a pdf from:

http://www.readinqaqencv.orq.uk.studiolift.webhoster.co.uk/vounq/vounq%20p

eople-upload/FPsummaryreport04.pdf

Vincent, John and Helen Carpenter (2007) Welcome To Your Library good
practice guide. LLDA. Available to download as a pdf from:
http://www.welcometovourlibrary.orq.uk/content files/files/WTYLGoodPracticeG

uideNov07.pdf .

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111 See, for example: http://www.cornwall.qov.uk/index.cfm7articleid-13772 .

121 See, for example, activities at Rosehill Library,

http://www.suffolk.qov.uk/LeisureAndCulture/Libraries/LocationsAndOpeninqTim

es/Rosehill LibrarvOlderPeopleEvents.htm .

131 A search-engine will lead you to masses of links, eg

http: //www. careline.org .uk/section.asp?catid = 21439&docid = 3511 .

m See, for example:

http://www.nottinqhamshire.qov.uk/home/leisure/libraries/libraries-

newlinc/miq rantworkerlinks.htm .

131 See: http://www.readinqaqency.orq.uk/vounq/headspace/ .

131 See: www.welcometovourlibrary.orq.uk .

m See: http://www.dlip.orq.uk/policvadvocacv/policypriorities . "Policy has been
divided into six areas: The Information Society; Learning; Public Health;

Culture; Community Development; Economic Development/Business Success.
CILIP will be concentrating on the first three."

131 See, for example,

http://www.londoncouncils.qov.uk/doc.asp?doc=164528(.CAT=2195 and
http://www.ce.communitiesscotland.qov.Uk/stellent/qroups/public/documents/w

ebpaqes/scrcs 0Q6693.hcsp#TopQfPaqe .

121 See: http://www.everychildmatters.qov.uk/ .

1121 See: http://www.readinqaqencv.orq.uk/vounq/fulfillinq-their-
potential/fulfillinq-their-potential/ .

1111 See: http://www.dfes.qov.uk/publications/carematters/index.shtml .

1121 1 visited a public library recently where the member of staff on the enquiry
desk appeared to be engrossed in withdrawing stock - so engrossed, that she
did not look up to deal with me!

1121 See, for example: "Community Engagement Resources",
http://www.mla.qov.uk/website/proqrammes/framework/framework proqramm

es/Community Engagement resources/ .

^ See: http://www.readinqaqency.orq.uk/ .

1131 See:

http://www.welcometovourlibrary.orq.uk/informationResources.asp7cat id =4 .

1131 See: www.seapn.orq.uk .

1121 See: http://www.literacvtrust.orq.uk/campaiqn/indexlibs.html .

1131 See: http://www.theirreadinqfutures.orq.uk/index.html .

1121 See: http://www.welcometovourlibrarv.orq.uk/editorial.asp7paqe id = 16 .

1221 See, for example, Sheffield City Council's profiling:

http://www.sheffield.qov.uk/vour-citv-council/equality-and-

diversity/race/comm unity-profiling , and MLA, 2005.

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Developing a Needs Based Library Service

John Pateman

The language of needs has become a dominant concept in the contemporary
discourse on public services. For example, Framework for the Future (DCMS,
2003), the government's ten year strategy for public libraries, has many
references to meeting community needs:

"Some are vital agents of change in their communities, reaching out to the
people who need them most whether they are long standing users or not.

Others are much more passive - they lend books and they respond to the
demands of their regular public... So I think we need to define libraries' modern
mission. The future success of libraries depends on their renewing and
communicating a sense of mission which is relevant to the needs of society
today... What individual library authorities do must reflect the needs of their local
communities".

"What they offer needs to be what people want, at a time and place that is
useful to them, and in a way that makes them want to come back again and
again. They are ideally placed to become again central points in local
communities. But they can only take back this role if they consult local people
and put them in the driving seat. Not just once, but as a continuous dialogue.

The best libraries do this. They involve, engage and inspire their customers. We
want the others to follow suit. There will be leadership training for all library
services. There will also be additional work on helping libraries better understand
the needs of local people, so that they can provide what is important to people
locally."

"The proposals are presented as a framework to encourage imaginative
innovation and greater operational effectiveness and efficiency, adapted to local
need and circumstance. I firmly believe that if we focus on this vision we will
deliver a public library service able to respond to the needs of society at the
beginning of the 21 st century".

A Needs Based Library Service is predicated on the assumption that everyone
has needs and everyone has different needs. Therefore a Needs Based Library
Service is a universal concept which can be applied to any library service in any
circumstances at any time.

A Needs Based Library Service has the appropriate strategy, structure, systems
and culture which enable it to identify, prioritise and meet community needs.

A Needs Based Library Service involves and engages the whole of the local
community in the planning, design, delivery and evaluation of library services.
This approach is evident in other sectors. For example, Sexual exclusion -
homophobia and health inequalities (UK Gay Men's Health Network, 2004)
recommends that "Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual people should be actively

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

encouraged to become involved in the design, delivery and evaluation of health
and education services". And Youth Matters (The Stationery Office, 2005), the
Green Paper on provision for teenagers, makes suggestions on "How to engage
more young people in positive activities and empower them to shape the
services they receive".

A Needs Based Library Service does not have customers, but stakeholders, who
own a stake in the library service because they pay for it through their taxes,
and they have a say in its control and management via their locally elected
representative.

A Needs Based Library Service is both democratic and accountable.

Stakeholders include staff, partners, suppliers, service users, lapsed users and
non users.

A Needs Based Library Service is a new way of thinking and a new way of
working. It is about hearts and minds, attitudes and behaviours, as well as
policies and services. It is a framework and infrastructure which enables and
facilitates organisational change. It is a whole service approach to meeting
needs, a holistic transformation, a revolution.

A Needs Based Library Service can be summed up in the phrase "From each
according to their ability (staff), to each according to their needs (community)."
In other words, a Needs Based Library Service gets the most out of its staff
(through workforce development); and takes positive action to meet the
greatest needs (through community development) in the community.

Developing a Needs Based Library Service is not a new concept. It is part of a
historical tradition and continuum which started in the mid nineteenth century.
Public libraries were founded to educate the poor and disadvantaged. They were
not established for the rich or the middle class. They were not intended to be
neutral, universal or open to all. They were targeted, focused and pro poor. They
were an early form of positive action (not discrimination). Developing a Needs
Based Library Service is a return to this tradition and these values of self help
and self improvement for those who need us the most but use us the least.

Developing a Needs Based Library Service is not a return to Victorian values in
the sense that public libraries were established primarily as a means of social
control - to control the leisure time and reading habits of the poor; to keep them
away from pubs, gin houses and penny dreadfuls; to stop them reading and
discussing "seditious literature". Social change and improvement was a
secondary consideration. Developing a Needs Based Library Service is primarily
about social change - enabling, facilitating and empowering individuals and
communities; giving them the information they need and helping to level the
economic, social and political playing fields of life.

Developing a Needs Based Library Service is about transformation rather than
modernisation. It is a revolutionary process which requires a clear strategic
vision. The first fundamental question which must be addressed is, what are
libraries for?

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There are two schools of thought that are currently dominating the media and
professional debate about the future of public libraries in the UK. One school
says that libraries should go back to basics and focus on core services
(particularly book borrowing) and making library buildings fit for purpose. This is
about the modernisation of the traditional library service. The other school of
thought says that there should be less emphasis on books and buildings (as
evidenced by the fall in issues and visits) and more focus on meeting community
needs through community development. This is about the transformation of
libraries into needs based services.

These two schools of thought were reflected in the Government's response to
the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee Report on Public
Libraries (2005). In his introduction to this response David Lammy, the Minister
for Culture, talked about the need to refocus on core library services, books,
buildings and opening hours:

"Books remain at the core of libraries' work, and we must ensure that libraries
continue to provide a high quality stock, and that access to special collections
and back catalogues is essential. Over the last ten years, book lending and the
number of visits has been falling. Libraries need to occupy buildings which are
well maintained, attractive and welcoming to local people, open at times that
match local demand, for example in the evening or on Sunday"

David Lammy also referred to the community development role that public
libraries can play, through outreach activities and positive engagement with
disadvantaged communities:

"Libraries reach out to communities in many ways. The make up of communities
is changing, and libraries must make sure they keep up with those changes, with
new needs and expectations. Libraries play or have the potential to play an
important role in local communities for everyone, but in particular for those who
are most vulnerable in deprived areas and elsewhere. We must ensure that
libraries can deliver what these people need and want. I would like to see library
services engaging with communities much more."

The debate has become polarised between Reads and Needs. Local authorities
are left to decide where they place their efforts, priorities and resources on this
spectrum. Getting a balance between the two is essential, as Mark Hepworth,
the Director of Local Futures, observed in his introduction to The Libraries
Impact Project (Laser Foundation, 2005):

"In this day and age we should not look at libraries exclusively as free book
shops, or book warehouses or as promoters of book reading. Books are not
everything, and book borrowing indicators should not be used as the prime
measure of how libraries contribute to local and national priorities. More complex
measures and methodologies are needed to properly capture the social benefits
of library services."

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

Users, Lapsed Users and Non Users

Research indicates that public libraries are only actively used by up to 30 per
cent of the UK population. The much touted figure of 60 per cent is a myth. Up
to two thirds of the population may own a library ticket, but only half that
number use the library on a regular basis. Those who do actively use libraries
are fairly homogenous in terms of race, class, age and gender. They tend to be
white, middle-class, middle-aged and female. This has been described as the
"dominant" reader - a person whom many library staff identify with in terms of
language, culture, attitudes, beliefs, values and behaviour.

Active library users make regular and full use of library services. They comprise
up to 30 per cent of our communities. They are the core of everything we do.
They are the focus of all or most of our efforts. We are always asking users
what they like about the service (the Public Library User Survey, for example)
and what else they would like. Their typical response is to ask for more of the
same, which tends to reinforce the status quo. These are people who use public
libraries the most but need them the least.

Passive library users make occasional and limited use of library services. They
comprise up to 30 per cent of our communities. They include lapsed users and
those who are "easy to reach". They might have a library ticket but do not use it
very often. Or they may have used the service in the past but stopped doing so
when it no longer met their needs or when they could get their needs met
elsewhere - by buying books or accessing the internet at home, for example.
This group can be easily reached with some minimum effort on our behalf (via
some effective and targeted marketing, for example). These are people who
make some use of the public library and who have some needs. There is another
category of lapsed users - those who visited a library once, but were treated so
badly by the staff that they never go back!

Non-users have never used libraries (for generations) and never will, unless we
reach out to them, engage with them, identify their needs and involve them in
the planning, design, delivery and monitoring of our services. They comprise up
to 40 per cent of our communities. They include the "hard-to-reach" and the
"unreachable." These are people that need libraries the most but use them the
least. There are also those non users who, following on from the 1980s/1990s,
believe that they can just buy everything they need, and therefore don't want
free lending services.

We need to know more about our active, lapsed and non users. A simple count
of visitors does not go far enough. We need to know who these visitors are,
where they live, their ethnicity, class, occupation, gender, age, why they use the
service, what they use it for, etc. Many library authorities do not capture all of
this data. Staff are reluctant, and regard it as intrusive, to ask library users too
many "personal" questions even though most people don't think twice about
giving their most intimate details (including income) to supermarkets, insurance
companies, etc.

We need to adopt and adapt this private sector, market research approach so
that we know exactly who is (and who is not) using our services. We can then
target our resources more accurately to meet the needs of those who already

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

use us (the minority) and start to make efforts to reach out to those who do not
use us (the majority).

Public libraries were established 150 years ago to meet the needs of "the
deserving poor". They have, to different degrees and at different times in
history, met some of those needs. But what they have never succeeded in doing
is to meet the needs of "the undeserving poor" - in modern language, the
homeless, the unemployed, travellers, asylum-seekers, refugees, migrant
workers and ethnic minorities.

When forced to consider the needs of those who do not make up the core 30 per
cent of library users, public libraries focus their attention on the "easy-to-reach".
So, for example, when Framework for the Future encouraged libraries to become
more socially inclusive, some libraries started to tentatively reach out to lapsed
users and those that could be easily persuaded to use them. Some of these
people have been attracted back into libraries by the People's Network, for
example.

But at that point many efforts stop. Most libraries do not engage with the 40 per
cent of non-users who are labelled as "hard to reach". Some non users are being
tempted into library buildings by the Peoples Network, but they are still not
making full use of the range of services which they provide. The People's
Network is not being managed to target and meet their needs. And there is an
increasing and disturbing tendency to charge for People's Network access, to
meet income targets rather than to meet needs. This is creating a two-tier
People's Network for the haves and have nots - which is the exact opposite of
what was intended by government and the New Opportunities Fund.

As Framework for the Future suggests, the first task is to transform library
services so that they have the capacity to deliver lifelong learning, e-government
and social inclusion. As part of this transformation, libraries must cease to put all
their efforts into existing users and start to focus on the needs of lapsed and
non-users. It is possible to develop new services for socially excluded people
without at the same time alienating the core user group on whom the current
performance depends. To do so it is necessary to include current users in the
change process. They must understand that, within constrained resources, it is
necessary to target and redirect budgets and services to meet the wide range of
needs within our communities.

Core users are generally able to understand concepts such as equity and social
justice. As well as these altruistic motives, there is also an element of self-
interest - the included know that there will be a price for them to pay (both
financially and in terms of crime, etc) if social exclusion is not tackled. An
inclusive library service does not only benefit the previously excluded - it
benefits the already included as well. A service that is more closely tailored to
meet the needs of its communities is likely to provide better services, stock,
premises, staff and opening hours to all of its users, old and new.

The four pillars of a needs based library service are strategy, structure, systems
and culture. UK public libraries now have a clear strategic direction (set by
Framework for the Future ). The next step is to develop new staffing and service
structures to deliver this strategy. Long hierarchies need to be replaced by

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flatter matrix structures, and there should be a greater emphasis on outreach
working and community development. All existing systems, procedures and
processes should be reviewed to ensure that they are consistent with a needs
based approach to service delivery. Finally, and most importantly, there needs
to be a cultural revolution with regard to old habits, ways of working, attitudes,
behaviours and values. I will give two examples of the kind of changes that are
required to develop a needs based library service.

The first change is a shift from customer orientation to customer care.

Customer orientation comprises a range of techniques for dealing with
customers - this can include giving a welcoming smile, wearing a name badge or
picking the phone up within three rings. Customer care is about going the extra
mile (or kilometre) and having the skills to understand and assess the needs of
library users. It is about recognising that customers are not all equal in their life
experiences and chances; so we should not treat all of our customers equally,
but in a way that meets their individual needs. This challenges some deeply held
professional library paradigms around issues such as equality, fairness and
neutrality.

The second example is a shift from libraries that are based in communities to
community based libraries. Many libraries are based in the community, but not
all libraries are community based. There should be a positive and dynamic
relationship between the library and the people who live in the neighbourhood.

In community based libraries there is a clear organic connection between the
work of the library and the needs of the local community. Everyone in a
community based library is needs focused and working to tackle social exclusion
and disadvantage in the local area.

Strategy

The first stage in the transformation process must be the development of a
robust strategy and a clear vision which all stakeholders can sign up to. This
strategy will help to prevent the service from being blown off course and will
provide a common platform and language for everyone involved to work from.
This strategy should form part of the overall objectives of the service. Depending
on a variety of factors, including local politics and circumstances, a Needs Based
Library Service can be based on a social exclusion, social inclusion or social
cohesion strategy. It is also possible to combine elements from each of these
three approaches.

A social exclusion strategy puts the focus firmly on the socially excluded
themselves, who they are, where they live and what their needs are. Social
inclusion policies locate social exclusion in a wider context. The advocates of
social inclusion point out that it is not only the socially excluded who suffer from
the outcomes of exclusion; so does the rest of the community. This can take the
form of a moral concern by the socially included for the plight of those who are
socially excluded and a wish to ensure that something is done about it. It can
also manifest itself as a fear, on the part of socially included people, that they
might suffer the consequences of others exclusion: an example is the fear that
crime will spill over from socially excluded areas.

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Social inclusion policies are also concerned to reduce the economic impact of
social exclusion on mainstream society. The advocates of social inclusion policies
would point out that, were it not being used to deal with the consequences of
exclusion, the public service budget - and therefore general taxation - could be
reduced or the savings reinvested into improved services for all. In other words,
the socially included stand to gain financially, or through improved services, if
social exclusion can be tackled successfully. Social inclusion therefore puts as
much emphasis on providing benefits to the included as it does on helping the
excluded

The proponents of social cohesion reach conclusions that are similar to, but
broader than, those of social inclusion. Social cohesion focuses on whole
communities, on participation and governance, as well as on the needs of those
who are excluded. It sees the development and maintenance of social capital as
a fundamental building block, alongside employment, services and a sustainable
living environment. By social capital is meant those networks of interactions that
we have with one another, that bind us together and act as a primary means of
exchanging the information, skills and help that anyone needs in their day to day
life.

People who are socially excluded have their access to networks greatly reduced.
This leads to social isolation, and a lack of the usual forms of social support that
others can take for granted, for people who are already living in difficult
circumstances. That is why a lack of social capital has been shown to have a
direct effect in undermining the health of socially excluded people. Social capital
is therefore not only a basic component of civil society but also a necessity in
tackling social exclusion.

Social exclusion, inclusion and cohesion are not separate, but overlapping points
of view that may best be viewed as an additive policy continuum. Each move
across the continuum makes further links between the benefits gained by those
who are excluded and the benefits gained by those who are not. At the exclusion
end, the focus is on alleviating and eliminating the exclusion. Social inclusion
adds to the exclusion focus and the need both to satisfy the moral concerns of
the rest of the population that people should not be excluded, and to ensure that
the included do not suffer the spill over effects that can come from some aspects
of exclusion such as crime or the costs of tackling exclusion. Finally, social
cohesion adds to the aims of tackling exclusion and promoting inclusion the wish
to do so within the context of a civil society whose cohesion is based on mutual
links between people, that is, social capital.

It is highly likely that, in any one local area, there will be at least some activity
taking place at each point on the continuum. The strategic question is therefore
not, on which part of the continuum should one's efforts be focussed, but what
should be the balance of efforts and connections between the different elements.
For example, should further effort be focused on social exclusion? In the end, it
can be argued, it is the socially excluded who are suffering the most and so
focussing solely on their needs might at least ensure that something gets done.
On the other hand, if it was felt that there would be resistance to focusing
resources on the socially excluded, then social inclusion might be a more viable
focus. Such concerns could be dealt with by explaining the benefits to socially
included people or appealing to their moral sensitivities. Social cohesion would

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be a natural focus for people who are concerned to unify the work of tackling
social exclusion into wider agendas such as democratic renewal and the
development of sustainable communities and environments. In the end, deciding
where to focus on the continuum will involve a balance between pay offs,
feasibility, legitimacy and the possibility of making links with other policy
agendas.

Structure

The next stage in the process of developing a needs based library service is to
remodel the staffing and service structures to enable them to deliver the
strategy. It is likely that significant changes to the existing structures will be
required. For example, if a library is in the wrong place or too small to deliver
the strategy, it might be necessary to redirect these resources into a different
part of the service - one which can deliver the strategy. Similarly, if the staffing
structure cannot deliver the strategy, it also needs to be changed. The staffing
structure must be fit for the purpose. It must contain the right number of posts,
with the right job titles, job descriptions, person specifications and competencies
to deliver the strategy. Some jobs may need to be completely redesigned to
reflect the new service direction and the skills required to deliver them.

Changing the structure will also help to change the organisational culture. All
cultures are based on language and so, by changing the language we use, we
also start to change the culture. For example, many traditional library structures
are based on the old professionalisms of children's, lending and reference work.
Staff within each of these areas were regarded as specialists and had little, if
any, involvement in other service areas. Thinking of libraries in these ways is no
longer relevant or helpful. It is more likely that the new strategy will be based
on themes such as Inclusion, Learning and Regeneration. If so, then these terms
should appear in the staffing structure and job titles.

But one set of specialisms should not be replaced with another. So, although a
member of staff's lead responsibility might be Inclusion, they should also have
secondary responsibilities for Learning and Regeneration. This will encourage
multi-skilling and will produce a more flexible workforce. It will also increase the
portfolio of transferable skills that each member of staff has and should improve
their job satisfaction, employability and progression. If the service is targeting
the socially excluded, all staff should have community development in their job
descriptions. This will make it clear that community development is the job of all
staff and not just those in "Special Services" or "Equal Access". The aim is to
make community development a normal part of activities. There are a number
of ways to achieve this.

A good starting point is job titles, job descriptions, person specifications and
competencies. If community development is not built into the design of a post
then the post holder can turn around and say that "community development is
not my job". Community development should appear in everybody's job
description from Library Assistant to Head of Libraries. It should be clear from a
person's job title and job description exactly what it is that they do - and what
can be expected from them. It's like a UK TV commercial for varnish - "It does
exactly what it says on the tin". Job descriptions should not be long lists of
duties - but a focussed description of the key responsibilities and tasks of the

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post. And these should be public documents for users and non users to see. In
that way library staff become accountable to the communities they serve, as well
as to their employers.

John Vincent (SEMLAC, 2005) provides a very good overview of libraries and
community cohesion. Since the 1970s (at least), there have been publications
identifying the role that public libraries could play in tackling social exclusion -
then often called "disadvantage" or "deprivation". A major response was via
"community librarianship" which, whilst establishing new ways of working, was,
as Dave Muddiman describes it, "an inconclusive and incomplete revolution".
From the late 1990s onwards, there have been a number of key reports looking
at the role of the public library in tackling social exclusion.

What might be called the 'modern generation' of reports started in 1998 with
one by Patrick Roach and Marlene Morrison, which focused on the "social
distance ... between the public library and ethnic minority communities", the
"lack of clear vision and leadership on ethnic diversity and racial equality
matters", and the lack of account by public libraries for their "progress in respect
of race equality whilst current performance systems are largely colour-blind."
Amongst their recommendations were calls for: a clear strategic plan for public
libraries; greater integration and partnership between the public library service
and related service providers and a review of the ongoing training and
professional development needs of public library staff in the light of changing
demographic and social circumstances. Morrison and Roach also published a set
of guidelines for good practice, which some library authorities used to reassess
their service provision.

In 1999, a Government working group published Libraries for all, a consultation
document which identified the role that public libraries could take in tackling
social exclusion (with case studies). This also included a set of assessment
criteria, six steps which can be used to assess where a library service has
reached. These are: identify the people who are socially excluded and their
distribution; engage with them and establish their needs; assess and review
current practice; develop strategic objectives and prioritise resources; develop
the services, and train the library staff to provide them; implement the services
and publicise them; evaluate success, review and improve. The final results of
the consultation were published in 2001 as Libraries, Museums, Galleries and
Archives for AH which emphasised the need for a joined up approach to tackling
social exclusion.

In 2000 a landmark report was published, Open to all? The Public Library and
Social Exclusion. The most significant part of this title was the question mark
because this report challenged the widely held assumption that libraries really
are open to all and should be everything for everybody rather than taking a
more focused and targeted approach. This research project had three main
elements: a set of Working Papers, a survey of all public library authorities in the
UK (to which there was a 63% return rate); and 8 case studies.

The report concluded "that UK libraries have adopted only weak, voluntary and
'take it or leave it' approaches to social inclusion. The core rationale of the public
library movement continues to be based on the idea of developing universal
access to a service which essentially reflects mainstream middle class, white and

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English values." Key consequences of this approach include: "a continuing
underutilisation of public libraries by working class people and other excluded
social groups; a lack of knowledge in the public library world about the needs
and views of excluded 'non users' ; the development in many public libraries of
organisational, cultural and environmental barriers which effectively exclude
many disadvantaged people."

The survey of UK public libraries found that: only one-sixth of public library
authorities approximated to a comprehensive model of good practice for social
inclusion; most authorities (60%) had no comprehensive strategy and had
uneven and intermittent activity; one quarter of authorities had little apparent
strategy and service development; only about one third of authorities
comprehensively targeted disadvantaged neighbourhoods and social groups;
most authorities had no consistent resource focused on exclusion, and this was
sometimes very marginal; many of the UK's most marginal and excluded people
were not considered to be priorities in library strategy, service delivery and
staffing. These included refugees, homeless people and Travellers.

These findings were supported by the eight case studies (carried out across the
UK), which found that there were: "some successes in addressing social
exclusion, most frequently linked to targeted initiatives employing community
development, partnerships, and other proactive ways of working; problems in
developing an overall, service wide, policy framework with exclusion issues
'mainstreamed' only exceptionally; a reluctance to adopt resourcing models that
consistently prioritise excluded communities or social groups; limits on the
ability of library staff to work with excluded people because of a lack of skills and
training and sometimes negative attitudes; a tendency to suggest that any
'community' activity automatically addresses exclusion and a tendency to consult
with communities and excluded groups only sporadically; a preoccupation with
libraries as a 'passive' service which prioritises 'access' rather than with
proactive and interventionist ways of working."

The report's final conclusion was that public libraries need to be transformed "to
become much more proactive, interventionist and educative institutions, with a
concern for social justice at their core." The specific strategies for such a
transformation were identified as: "the mainstreaming of provision for socially
excluded groups and communities and the establishment of standards of service
and their monitoring; the adoption of resourcing strategies which prioritise the
needs of excluded people and communities; a recasting of the role of library
staff to encompass a more socially responsive and educative approach; staffing
policies and practices which address exclusion, discrimination and prejudice;
targeting of excluded social groups and communities; the development of
community-based approaches to library provision, which incorporate
consultation with and partnership with local communities; ICT and networking
developments which actively focus on the needs of excluded people; a recasting
of the image and identity of the public library to link it more closely with the
cultures of excluded communities and social groups."

The report also concluded that there are a number of "prescriptions for action"
for tackling social exclusion, which include empowering local communities;
targeting resources and services; tackling consumerism and the managerial
culture; a re-examination of equality of opportunity; and the need to establish

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an information policy. A small number of library authorities, (e.g. Kensington &
Chelsea; the South Eastern Education & Library Board in Northern Ireland;
Lincolnshire) are using the findings of Open to all? to inform and assess their
work in tackling social exclusion.

Systems

The third stage in developing a needs based library service is to assess all
existing policies, procedures and processes to ensure that they are consistent
with the strategy, service and staffing structures. Many traditional library
systems have created barriers which deter non users from accessing services.
Membership and joining requirements, for example, are often quite onerous and
bureaucratic. New members are asked for proof of both address and identity.
Tickets are only posted to known addresses. For those who are unable (Eg
Travellers) or unwilling (Eg refugees) to give their personal details to the
authorities (often for good reason) this can be a problem. It was widely reported
at the time that the Poll Tax was introduced that library records would be
forcibly accessed to provide evidence in court against defaulters. Old systems
need to be replaced with new ways of working such as self issue and partnership
working.

John Vincent (SEMLAC, 2005) gives evidence from a number of reports, surveys
and research projects into the role or potential role that libraries can play in
community cohesion initiatives. A survey carried out by Resource (the Council
for Museums, Libraries and Archives) in 2001 showed that, whilst 83% of public
libraries' equal opportunity policies mention disabled people, only 27% had, at
that stage, a disability action plan, 45% provided disability training to all staff,
and 53% consulted with user groups. A report by the Central London Learning &
Skills Council, Young People's Attitude to Learning (2002), makes it clear that
young people do not necessarily see libraries as a source of information about
further courses of study and career options.

In 2002, Resource published a report on the role that libraries, archives and
museums could play in neighbourhood renewal and social inclusion. Whilst the
report found "clear evidence that the sector is actively involved with projects
focusing on neighbourhood renewal and social inclusion" (and a number of other
positive benefits created by the sector), it also showed that: there was a lack of
knowledge on the part of organisations as to what the sector could offer; there
was a lack of effective, comprehensive evaluation methods to measure the
sector's impact on neighbourhood renewal and social inclusion; there was limited
evidence of the sector's working in "inter-domain or pan-sectoral collaborative
partnerships"

A survey of public libraries' provision for refugees and asylum-seekers by The
Network in 2002 (Ryder and Vincent, 2002) found that some library authorities
were providing excellent levels of service, whilst some were barely providing a
service at all. For example, several library authorities knew they had refugees
and asylum-seekers within their authority, but did not know what languages
they spoke.

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The IDeA report, Cultural connections (2004) includes examples of where
libraries have contributed to the Shared Priorities between Local and National
Government. These include: Barnet and Bournemouth's community learning
centres; Blackburn with Darwen's Asian women's reading group; Stockton-on-
Tees's ICT provision; Liverpool's "Surfzone" and "Kids.com" provision;
Lancashire's SMILE centre; Leeds's job-seekers' support work.

The Youth Libraries Group publication, Bright young things (2004), gives
examples of the range of work that public and school library services are
undertaking to support learning by children and young people, including young
people who may be socially excluded (e.g. in Homework Centres, "Big Book
Share").

The DCMS report Bringing communities together through sport and culture
(2004), highlights the role that public libraries can play in tackling social
exclusion.

A report by the Local Government Association on Extending the Role of libraries
(2004) provided an insight into partnership working, funding, targeting user
groups, the role of library staff and national and local support networks

These reports indicate that there is some evidence to show that public libraries
can provide a focus for civic engagement, but there are many issues arising from
this, including: the clash between the "old" and the "new" in terms of the
sometimes conflicting needs of existing and new service users; the homogeneity
of users may deter others; and expectations of appropriate behaviour. As Anne
Goulding has said "The very success of democratic public space lies in its
embrace of conflict and plurality and libraries need to consider how to address
any tensions inherent in their use and access whilst still ensuring that their
capacity to help promote social capital is maintained."

From the work that has been developed particularly over the last five years or
so, it is clear that the major strengths of public libraries in the UK in relation to
working with socially excluded groups are:

• Services are targeted towards specific needy groups and individuals

• Services are provided in partnership with local communities

• Staff are given thorough and on-going support and training

• Services are sustainable

• Socially excluded groups have a separate service

Culture

The final stage in developing a needs based library service is to develop an
organisational culture which can support the strategy, service and staffing
structures, and systems. Culture change can make many years to achieve,
depending on how long the current culture has been embedded. This could take
3-5 or even 10-15 years to change. But the process of cultural change can be
accelerated through a combination of service action planning, performance
management and workforce development.

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This long term approach to culture change is linked to another important factor,
sustainability. Work with ethnic minorities and other excluded groups needs to
be bought in from the margins (funded by short-term grants and staffed by
project workers) and put at the centre of what libraries do (mainstream funded
and delivered by permanent staff). It is no good raising expectations in the
community and starting the process of meeting those expectations, only to stop
when the money runs out and committed staff move on. We need to be working
in excluded communities for the duration and be setting targets for the next five,
10 or 15 years, in the same way that the government has set a 20-year target
for eradicating child poverty.

Social exclusion objectives and targets should appear in the Library Service
Action Plan and individual Library Development Plans. These should then be
translated into team and staff objectives. Targets should be set and performance
reviewed as part of the appraisal process.

Libraries need to measure the impacts and outcomes of their needs based
approach and collect evidence which proves that they are improving the quality
of life of the communities they serve. These success criteria and performance
measures are best developed in consultation with those who the services are
targeted at and who should be fully involved in the planning, design, delivery
and monitoring of library services.

Targets could be set, for example, to increase active membership, particularly
among target communities (young people, men, ethnic minorities). Targets for
increased issues (to arrest the decline of the last ten years) and visits (in line
with Public Library Service Standards) could also be set.

The Libraries Impact Project (Laser Foundation, 2005) recommended a range of
impact measures, based on four of the shared priorities between central and
local government:

• Education: the impact on adults (post 16 population) of library services
supporting adult education; the impact of libraries on pupils attending
summer reading schemes or homework clubs / study support based in
libraries

• Children: the impact of library activities supporting children and families

• Health: the impact of widening access to health information

• Older people: the impact on older people of receiving library services in
the home; the impact of libraries on older people accessing information on
entitlements to benefits and services.

These performance indicators are designed to augment the Public Library Impact
Measures which have been developed by the Department of Culture, Media and
Sport (2005). All UK public libraries are required to collect data on the following
Impact Measures from April 2005:

• Raising standards across schools: number of Bookstart (a national early
years free book scheme) packs delivered to children aged 0-9 months, 18-
30 months, 36-48 months; number of new library members aged 0-4
years; number of young people who take part in the Summer Reading
Challenge (national summer reading scheme)

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• Improving quality of life for children, young people, families at risk and
older people: number of people receiving a Home Library Service (a
service to someone unable to visit the library due to infirmity, physical or
mental disability)

• Promoting healthier communities and narrowing health inequalities:
provision and take up of health related stock

• Creating safer and stronger communities: access to, and take up of, ICT
based services including The People's Network (free internet access)

• Promoting the economic vitality of communities: access to ICT based
learning sessions

Another requirement of the Public Library Impact Measures is that every library
authority should develop community profiles: "A community profile is essential
to identify the community need for library services and will inform planning,
target setting and performance measurement. Guidelines are provided to
suggest the minimum level of information authorities should include". This
minimum information includes: population, age profile, live births, ethnic groups,
religion, health and caring, economic status, households, tenure, car ownership,
travel to work, and deprivation indicators.

In 2004 the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) commissioned the
New Directions in Social Policy program. Within this program MLA has contracted
consultants Burns Owens Partnership (BOP) to develop and pilot library outcome
measures to document the impact of the sector in three main areas: healthy
communities, social capital and community identity and cohesion. These
outcome measures (known as Generic Social Outcomes or GSOs) will feed into
the Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) framework which is the main
vehicle used by the government to measure the performance of local councils.
The CPA framework is being made more rigorous via a new regime known as
Comprehensive Performance Assessment - the Harder Test (Audit Commission,
2005). The key areas for assessment will be sustainable communities, safer and
stronger communities, healthier communities, older people and children and
young people. CPA assessments will look for evidence of user focus, diversity,
value for money and community leadership.

Public Library Standards have been replaced by a new single performance
indicator which forms part of the 198 measures used by central government to
monitor the performance of local services. Comprehensive Performance
Assessment is being replaced by Comprehensive Area Assessment, which will be
linked to Local Area Agreements, Local Public Service Agreements and
Community Strategies.

Research in the UK has indicated that the greatest weakness and the biggest
challenge facing library services which want to tackle social exclusion is how to
change the role of the librarian. Most public library staff in the UK are not able to
design and deliver services for excluded groups. They require new skills and a
different type of education and training. When a library service is transformed
from a passive, traditional, provider-driven service to a proactive, needs-based,
community-driven service, it is essential to provide a significant level of staff
training, support and workforce development. Staff must be provided with the
skills they need to work in new ways. McArthur and Nicholson (2005) note that,
"In an ever changing environment, training and support is required for frontline

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staff to help them deal effectively with situations that will arise. Library services
are often failing their people by not providing adequate training to equip their
teams with the knowledge and skills required for the future of the service."

Within the library service there is a huge need for the development of
interpersonal skills and 'people skills'. There are a number of approaches to this:
awareness training - what social exclusion is and how it can be tackled; cultural
awareness training; training which helps staff to work with specific groups -
courses on reaching out to looked after children and Travellers; operational
training - how to draw up a community profile, how to identify community
needs, how to manage successful partnerships, how to make funding bids,
consultation, marketing; leadership and management training - which reflect
social responsibility issues; joint working - this involves short term project
working and longer term integrated service planning, delivery and monitoring
with other services, agencies and organisations. In the process of working with
other professionals, it is possible for library staff to learn new skills.

In each case, staff training and development must be linked to job descriptions,
competencies, service objectives and appraisal. With these frameworks in place
it is clear what is expected of existing staff with regard to skills and
competencies. It is also clear what we are looking for when we recruit new staff.
We are no longer just looking for staff with technical library skills. We are also
looking for staff with skills which can enable them to identify and meet
community needs via outreach work, partnership working and funding bids.

There needs to be a total mind shift from being task focused to being community
focused. By having a community focused mindset, staff will be more aware of
what is going on around them, enabling them to be proactive in dealing with
service users and anticipating their needs. A community focused mindset
encourages a 'can do' attitude which means that everyone within the library
service appreciates the need to take responsibility for service delivery and the
way in which the community perceives the library.

Staff attitudes and perceptions also play a vital role in the effectiveness of public
libraries contribution to social inclusion policy and objectives. Questions to be
considered include whether or not the ethnicity and social and cultural
background of staff can be a key driver in maintaining a positive attitude
towards community librarianship. It is necessary to test the theory that an
inclusive organisation facilitates an inclusive public service, and that the ability
to empathise through personal experience motivates the pro active and
successful community librarian.

This will require an assessment of the relationships between staffs own ethnicity,
social, cultural and professional background and their capacity to make an
effective, empathic contribution to social inclusion objectives. This assessment
should be based on the following data: staff demographics in terms of ethnicity,
age, gender, social background, educational attainment, professional status,
length of time in service; awareness of national social inclusion policy;
perceptions of the community role for the public library; perceptions of socially
excluded groups in the locality; perceptions of the extent to which these groups
are being included; brief coverage of the ways in which exclusion is being
addressed; attitudes towards professional roles and responsibilities in addressing
exclusion; the extent of staff participation (including willingness to become

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involved) in social inclusion policy implementation; the effects of internal politics,
including communication, training and professional inclusion upon attitudes
towards social inclusion policy; the perceived impact of national government
social inclusion policy and agenda on current practice; which excluded groups
staff feel that the library service particularly targets and how; which groups staff
feel that the library service excludes and how; future plans for social inclusion at
a local level

Sarah McNichol (2004) identified some barriers to library use: the perception of
library staff as "officious and not particularly helpful"; "the staff seem to be
absorbed in their work and I felt I was intruding"; "I grew up thinking that
libraries were for use by those who were better educated than me"; "Libraries
and their employees have not changed much in the past three or four decades,
they are now using computers but they never in my opinion come out into the
world at large."

Michelle McArthur and Keith Nicholson (2005) made some similar observations.
They noted, for example, "how front line team members became so focused on
the task they were carrying out, e.g. shelving, that they became unaware of the
customers and failed to observe what was happening around them. Having spent
20 plus years in the 'people business', it was particularly disturbing to feel like
an intruder when entering many of the libraries we visited. Customers are often
made to wait until the staff member has completed a task before they are
acknowledged as being there and waiting for assistance." There are three major
hurdles that need to be overcome

• fear of change - everyone deals with change in their own way, but for
many the fear of the unknown, or lack of certainty in the future, impacts
upon their ability to deliver great service as they become distracted by the
emotional barriers of fear

• attitude - in order to meet needs it is vital that everyone within the
organisation has a community focused 'can do' attitude. Sometimes it is
the staff closest to the community who have the best attitude, and the
problems tend to arise at the supervisory / middle management level.

Staff will only maintain their community focus if they have the total
support and commitment of their line managers

• policy and procedures - many library services tend to rely on historical
policies and procedures to take the service forward. Library services often
recruit staff who have an interest in the products, and are process / task
orientated individuals, who are not always comfortable dealing with the
public, especially in difficult situations. Recruitment policies must change
so that staff are recruited from 'people business' backgrounds, and have
the necessary community skills.

As Annette De Faveri (2005) has said:

"At the heart of every positive story about the library is a personal experience
with a library staff member. Staff develop and sustain the relationships that
embody and define library services. However well-conceived the service model,
without the people to humanize it, a service model is simply a set of
instructions. Breaking barriers to library use is about building relationships.
Building relationships is about taking time, and it requires staff who are trained,

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knowledgeable, and understanding of the community's needs and the library's
role in meeting those needs. As we build relationships we build communities.
When we build communities we sustain lifelong learning for all community
members."

A National Consumer Council Survey (2005) asked the question "What marks
out the best public services - what is that factor that differentiates them?" In
many ways the answer to this question is the essence of a needs based library
service: "People speak about empathy, compassion, warmth, the human touch,
respect - taking the time to listen and respond to individual circumstances, and
focusing help on people who need it most."

Emerging research (2007) shows that there is a significant empathy gap in
public libraries between the homogenous nature of the staff and the increasingly
diverse make up of communities. Most library staff are female, older, white and
with good educational backgrounds (indicating a middle class bias). This
compromises their ability to empathise with men and boys, younger people,
ethnic minorities and working class people. All of these groups are under
represented when their proportion of the general population is compared to their
percentage of library users. The dominant staff member prefers to meet the
needs of the dominant library user.

When tested, some staff can categorise 'worthy' and 'unworthy' library users,
which is resonant of the Victorian attitude towards the 'deserving' and
'undeserving' poor. Within this typology the homebound and deserving but the
homeless are not. The least deserving of all are those communities on the
fringes of society - asylum seekers, refugees, migrant workers and Travellers.
Research by Stonewall shows that these groups face high levels of public
prejudice, driven by the media and the law.

The research also shows that many library staff are not aware of social exclusion
policy in the context of public libraries; they blame this on management's failure
to communicate with them. Another reason could be that they do not want to
engage with this agenda and so they claim no knowledge of it. Some library
workers - particular older staff - have expressed open hostility to social
exclusion, which they describe as political correctness.

Staff training and development can go someway to enable staff to deal with
social exclusion issues, but it cannot completely close the empathy gap.

Similarly, working with other agencies, partners and volunteers can also help to
raise awareness and understanding, but it cannot fully close the empathy gap.

At the end of the day white, older, female, middle class staff cannot fully
understand what it is like to be black, young, male or working class. Until we
have a diverse workforce which reflects our diverse communities we will not be
able to develop fully inclusive and needs based library services.

References

Black, Alistair, and Muddiman, Dave. (1997) Understanding Community
Librarianship: the public library in post modern Britain, Avebury Press

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Carpenter, Helen (2004) Welcome to Your Library: developing public library
services for asylum seekers and refugees in the London Boroughs of Brent,
Camden, Enfield, Merton, Newham - final report. LLDA

CHIP (2002) Start with the child: report of the CILIP Working Group on library
provision for children and young people

CILIP (2002) Making a difference - innovation and diversity: the report of the
Social Inclusion Executive Action Group to CILIP :

Cookman, Noeleen and Haynes, David (2002) Strategic review of statistical
requirements, Resource

DCMS (1999) Libraries for all: social inclusion in public libraries - policy guidance
for local authorities in England

DCMS (2001) Libraries, museums, galleries and archives for all: co-operating
across the sectors to tackle social exclusion

DCMS (2003) Framework for the future: libraries, learning and information in the
next decade

DCMS (2004) Bringing communities together through sport and culture: Oldham
DCMS (2004) Culture at the heart of regeneration
DCMS (2005) Public Library Impact Measures

De Faveri, Annette (2005) Breaking Barriers: Libraries and Socially Excluded
Communities, Information for Social Change, Summer 2005

Duffy, K (1995) Social Exclusion and Human Dignity in Europe

Fitzpatrick, S (1999) Poverty and social inclusion in Glasgow [discussion paper
for the Glasgow Alliance Social Inclusion Inquiry] in Geddes, Mike (2000)
Strategies for social inclusion: learning from the Scottish experience. LGIU (Local
Authorities and Social Exclusion Network, Research Paper 1)

Fryer, R (2002) Creating Learning Cultures: next steps in achieving the learning
age, NIACE

Goulding, Anne (2004) "Libraries and social capital". Journal of librarianship and
information science 36 (1) March, pp. 3-6

Greenhalgh, Liz., Worpole, Ken., and Landry, Charles. (1995) Libraries in a
World of Cultural Change, UCL Press

Home Office (2001) Building cohesive communities: a report of the Ministerial
Group on Public Order and Community Cohesion

Home Office (2001) Community cohesion: a report of the Independent Review
Team chaired by Ted Cantle

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

Home Office (2004) The end of parallel lives? The report of the Community
Cohesion Panel

Home Office (2004) Strength in diversity: towards a community cohesion and
race equality strategy

House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee (2005) Report on Public
Libraries

IDeA (2004) Something to shout about! Cultural connections: cultural services
and better public service delivery

Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2000) Poverty and Social Exclusion in Britain

Larsen, J.I., Jacobs, D.L., and Vlimmeren, T.V. (2004) Cultural Diversity: how
public libraries can serve the diversity in the community

Laser Foundation (2005) The Libraries Impact Project

LISC (Wales) (2003) Mapping social inclusion in publicly-funded libraries in
Wales

Local Government Association (2004) Community cohesion - an action guide:
guidance for local authorities

London Central LSC (2002) Young people's attitudes to learning

McArthur, Michelle and Nicholson, Keith (2005) 'The Customer Care Challenge',
Public Library Journal, Summer 05

McNichol, Sarah (2004) 'Investigating non-use of Libraries in the UK using the
mass observation archive', Journal of Librarianship and Information Science,
36(2)

Magne, Sam and McTiernan, Angela (2004) Open hearts, open minds: a social
inclusion self-assessment handbook for staff working with the public and those
who support them. Exeter Community Initiatives

Mears, Sarah (editor) (2004) Bright young things: libraries inspiring children's
learning. CILIP Youth Libraries Group

Miller, Clive (1999) Managing for social cohesion. Office for Public Management

Morrison, Marlene and Roach, Patrick (1998) Public libraries and ethnic diversity:
a baseline for good practice. University of Warwick Centre for Research in Ethnic
Relations (British Library Research and Innovation Report 113)

Muddiman, Dave et al (2000) Open to all? The public library and social exclusion
- Volume 1: Overview and conclusions. Resource (Library and Information
Commission Research Report 86)

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Muddiman, Dave et aI (2000) Open to all? The public library and social exclusion

- Volume 2: Survey, case studies and methods. Resource (Library and
Information Commission Research Report 86)

Muddiman, Dave et al (2000) Open to all? The public library and social exclusion

- Volume 3: Working papers. Resource (Library and Information Commission
Research Report 86)

Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (2004) Framework for the Future:
Action Plan 2004-06

Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (2004) Inspiring learning for all

National Literacy Trust (2004) Literacy and social inclusion: the policy challenge

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2004), Tackling Social Exclusion: taking
stock and looking to the future .ODPM.

Page, D (2000) The Reality of Social Exclusion on Housing Estates, The Joseph
Rowntree Foundation

Parker, Sandra et al (2002) Neighbourhood renewal & social inclusion: the role
of museums, archives and libraries. Resource

Pateman, John (2004) Developing a Needs Based Library Service, Update 3 (5)
May, pp. 34-37

Pateman, John (2003) Developing a needs based library service. NIACE
("Lifelines in adult learning" series no.13)

Pateman, John (2004) "Library services to guest workers", The Network
Newsletter 33, June, pp. 10-12

Pateman, John (2004) Structures to tackle social exclusion. Update 3 (6) June,
pp 38-40

Pateman, John (2004) Tackling exclusion: Gypsies and Travellers, Update 3 (3)
March, pp. 42-43

Pateman, John (2004) Tackling social exclusion: the hardest to reach,
Information for Social Change, Summer

Pateman, John and Newby, Charles (2004) "The essence of inclusion: Cuba and
the Nordic States", Update 3 (11) November, pp. 30-33

Percy-Smith, Janie (editor) (2000) Policy responses to social exclusion: towards
inclusion? Open University Press

Renewal.net (2002) Tackling exclusion

Resource (2001) Survey of provision for disabled users of museums, archives
and libraries

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Roach, Patrick and Morrison, Marlene (1998) Public libraries, ethnic diversity and
citizenship. University of Warwick Centre for Research in Ethnic Relations and
Centre for Educational Development, Appraisal and Research (British Library
Research and Innovation Report 76)

Room, Graham et al (1993) Anti-poverty action-research in Europe. University of
Bristol, School for Advanced Urban Studies

Ryder, Julie and Vincent, John (2002) Public library services for refugees and
asylum-seekers: the results of the "Words without Frontiers" survey. The
Network

Sexual exclusion - homophobia and health inequalities (2004) UK Gay Men's
Health Network

Social Exclusion Unit (2001) A new commitment to Neighbourhood Renewal:
National Strategy Action Plan - a report by the Social Exclusion Unit. Cabinet
Office

Social Exclusion Unit (2001) Preventing social exclusion: a report by the Social
Exclusion Unit. Cabinet Office

Social Exclusion Unit (2004) Breaking the cycle: taking stock of progress and
priorities for the future - a report by the Social Exclusion Unit. ODPM

Thompson, J (2000) Social Exclusion, NIACE Briefing Sheet 10

Vincent, John (2005) Libraries and Community Cohesion, SEMLAC, available at
www.semlac.orq.uk/community cohesion.html

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'He didn't have to say he was gay': attitudes to
lesbians, gay men, bisexuals and transgendered

people

John Vincent

John Vincent is a Networker for "The Network - tackling social exclusion in
libraries, museums, archives and galleries" [see Appendix 1]

Introduction

This chapter is going to look at some of the recent developments in libraries,
particularly in the UK and in relation to the Government policy agenda around
social inclusion/cohesion, but taking the provision of services for lesbians, gay
men, bisexuals and transgendered people [LGBTs] as a 'touchstone' 111 .

As I started to think more about writing this chapter, I wondered whether, in
2005, discussing the provision of library services for LGBTs really could be
described as 'radical' - after all, "Clause 28" m had been repealed in the UK, and
libraries were now signing up to new ways of delivering library services, post
Framework for the future [DCMS, 2003]. What was 'radical' in all that?

Then, three significant events occurred: firstly, in reporting back to me some
comments about a course I had run, a colleague told me that all the feedback
had been extremely positive, except for one person who had said that s/he had
found my session very interesting, but s/he could not see why I had needed to
tell them that I am gay. Secondly, I rang a friend who had recently retired from
working in a public library service, and, presumably released from any sense of
obligation to 'hold the line', she told me in no uncertain terms that all this
equalities training was a waste of time, and got in the way of providing services.
And, thirdly, a colleague who attended one of my sessions at the 2005 Umbrella
conference 111 said that he had not fully realised the extent of opposition that
there still is from some library workers to the whole idea of equalities - and
particularly extending them to LGBTs - and providing services for everyone.

So, what is all this about? I want to explore some of these themes and look at
responses from governmental and professional bodies.

The chapter starts with a brief overview of the Government and library 'scenes'
in the UK; these are followed by an assessment of where - and whether - LGBT
people fit into all of this; and the chapter ends with some suggestions of what
successful provision might look like.

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Social exclusion, social inclusion and community cohesion
Social exclusion and social inclusion

Social inclusion 141 as a concept has been recognised in Europe since at least the
1970s 151 , but has been part of the policy agenda in the UK since only 1997.

The UK Government's earliest definition of social exclusion was quite broad and
limited (and this is the definition that most organisations are still using):

"a shorthand term for what can happen when people or areas suffer from
a combination of linked problems such as unemployment, poor skills, low
incomes, poor housing, high crime, bad health and family breakdown."

[eg in Social Exclusion Unit, 2001]

The importance of this definition is the flagging-up of social exclusion as "a
combination of linked problems".

Such definitions were used by the Policy Action Teams [PATs] set up by
Government departments to develop their thinking and take forward these policy
areas [see, for example, DCMS, 1997; DCMS, 2001].

In their consultation document, Libraries for all [1999], DCMS developed their
work on social exclusion against a broad background definition:

"Social exclusion takes many forms. It can be direct or indirect, and can
embrace both groups and individuals. Exclusion also has a geographical
dimension embracing rural, urban and suburban areas alike."

However, by 2001, the Government's definition had broadened considerably:

"Social exclusion is something that can happen to anyone. But some
people are significantly more at risk than others. Research has found that
people with certain backgrounds and experiences are disproportionately
likely to suffer social exclusion. The key risk-factors include: low income;
family conflict; being in care; school problems; being an ex-prisoner;
being from an ethnic minority; living in a deprived neighbourhood in
urban and rural areas; mental health problems, age and disability."
[emphasis theirs]

[Social Exclusion Unit, 2001, pll]

The most recent definition from the Social Exclusion Unit (in Breaking the cycle
[SEU, 2004a]) 151 states:

"While social exclusion is often associated with highly marginalised groups
facing extreme forms of multiple disadvantage, our approach is broader.
We also include an understanding of how wider social inequality and
intergenerational disadvantage can impact on the causes of social
exclusion and the risk of becoming excluded.

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This is a deliberately pragmatic and flexible definition. One of the
characteristics of social exclusion is that problems are linked and mutually
reinforcing ..." [pl4]

Some people (see, for example, Local Government Association, 2001a) have
tended to see social exclusion as being related almost entirely to poverty -
certainly, there is an economic element to exclusion, but early work at the
University of Bristol identified social exclusion as being "multidimensional"

[Room et at, 1993], and more recent work by Janie Percy-Smith [2002] and a
team at Leeds Metropolitan University has shown that there are at least seven
"dimensions":

• Economic (eg long-term unemployment; workless households; income
poverty)

• Social (eg homelessness; crime; disaffected youth)

• Political (eg disempowerment; lack of political rights; alienation from/lack
of confidence in political processes)

• Neighbourhood (eg decaying housing stock; environmental degradation)

• Individual (eg mental and physical ill health; educational
underachievement)

• Spatial (eg concentration/marginalisation of vulnerable groups)

• Group (concentration of above characteristics in particular groups, eg
disabled, elderly, ethnic minorities)

In talking about social exclusion, we are focusing on the needs of groups and
individuals who can be defined using the "dimensions" listed above and who do
not have access to services and facilities, or to society's decision-making and/or
power structures. Work by the Local Government Information Unit, based on the
Scottish experience shows that:

"There are excluders as well as victims of social exclusion, and these
excluders include mainstream public services, such as health, housing and
education." [Fitzpatrick, 1999, quoted in Geddes, 2000, p7]

The Network uses the two main Government definitions (supplemented by a
fuller list of people who are at risk of or likely to suffer social exclusion), plus
Janie Percy-Smith's seven "dimensions", to describe social exclusion.

Social or community cohesion

During the spring and summer of 2001, there was a number of disturbances in
towns and cities in England (including Bradford, Burnley, Oldham and Stoke-on-
Trent).

The Government's response was to establish a Ministerial Group on Public Order
and Community Cohesion whose role it was to "examine and consider how
national policies might be used to promote better community cohesion, based
upon shared values and a celebration of diversity." [Denham, 2001]

At the same time, the Home Secretary also established a Review Team, led by
Ted Cantle, "to seek the views of local residents and community leaders in the

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affected towns and in other parts of England on the issues which need to be
addressed to bring about social cohesion and also to identify good practice in the
handling of these issues at local level." [Denham, 2001]

As a result of these reviews, the definition of community cohesion shifted, and
the working definition now used is:

"Community cohesion incorporates and goes beyond the concept of race
equality and social inclusion.

The broad working definition is that a cohesive community is one
where:

• there is a common vision and a sense of belonging for all
communities;

• the diversity of people's different backgrounds and
circumstances are appreciated and positively valued;

• those from different backgrounds have similar life opportunities;
and

• strong and positive relationships are being developed between
people from different backgrounds in the workplace, in schools
and within neighbourhoods." [emphasis theirs]

[Local Government Association, 2002]

More graphically, the Home Office [2004] described the situation as:

"... it became glaringly apparent that the people living and working in
some of our towns and cities were deeply polarised and many
communities were in essence living 'parallel lives'." [p5]

For a piece of work to be considered as contributing to community cohesion, it
needs to have:

• A focus on the 'bigger picture' (eg countering racism, healing inter-
generational rifts)

• The intention to contribute to community cohesion

• A strategic approach with long-term goals

• A change of culture for the service concerned

• The development of strong and healthy partnerships

• Sustainability - longer-term work, not one-off projects (unless these in
turn lead to the longer-term) 121 .

Relating directly to the themes in this chapter are the findings of a piece of
research by Stonewall [2003], published in 2004 [Valentine and McDonald,
2004]. Amongst a range of valuable findings are that groups that challenge
majority views on a cultural level include lesbians and gay men, and Asian
people.

The report also identifies five different kinds of prejudice - well worth thinking
about in the context of reactions to LGBTs from libraries:

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• Aggressive

• Banal (mundane examples that may be intentional or unintentional and
which pass unnoticed)

• Benevolent (positive views which may still produce negative
consequences)

• Cathartic ("a release of views recognised as being less positive about
minority groups, and therefore unacceptable, that is justified and
therefore rendered acceptable" [pl6])

• Unintentional.

This, then, is the broad, national policy context within which libraries are
working. In the next section, I want to look briefly at Framework for the future
[DCMS, 2003] and other major 'drivers for change' in library services.

'Drivers' for change in libraries

In 2003, DCMS published the milestone report, Framework for the future. This
report highlighted a number of major issues for public libraries, including "the
tendency for libraries to focus on current users rather than non-users [p20], and
the idea that "people who find reading difficult and groups in the community
most at risk of social exclusion may find libraries distant or even intimidating
places rather than seeing them as symbols of community" [p40].

Framework then identified the three main themes that should be at the core of
the "library's modern mission":

• "The promotion of reading and informal learning,

• Access to digital skills and services, including e-government,

• Measures to tackle social exclusion, build community identity and develop
citizenship." [p23]

Specifically, the report stated that:

"All libraries need to work to establish programmes that will engage
groups and individuals that are hard to reach by identifying them and
establishing what are their particular needs and then by redesigning
services where necessary so that there are no barriers to inclusion." [p41]

The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council have produced an Action Plan
[MLA, 2004b] in response, which, at the time of writing, is coming towards the
end of a three-year phase, and which has led to the a wide range of
developments (including the development of good practice in working with
young children and their families, teenagers, and adults with basic skills needs;
a marketing campaign; workforce development; and a reassessment of the
physical state of England's libraries) 121 .

This work is being underpinned by the new Public Library Service Standards 121 ,
launched in 2004, which assess the physical and delivery aspects of public
library services; and by the development of a set of Public Library Service
Impact Measures 1121 which, so far, are at a very early stage, but which aim to
produce robust measures of the effectiveness of public library provision 1111 .

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The Impact Measures have been developed to fit into the "Shared Priorities"
framework [ODPM, 2002]. This framework was agreed between the Government
and the Local Government Association in 2002, and sets out the priorities
required to make improvements to public services. The key priorities are:

• Raising standards across our schools

• Improving the quality of life of children, young people, families at risk and
older people

• Promoting healthier communities by targeting key local services such as
health and housing

• Creating safer and stronger communities

• Transforming our local environment

• Meeting transport needs more effectively

• Promoting the economic vitality of localities.

Therefore, as a matter of urgency, there is considerable emphasis on
establishing ways in which libraries - particularly public libraries - contribute to
all these policy agendas, and on accessing the evidence to support this. For
example, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council [MLA] have produced
Inspiring learning for all [MLA, 2004a] which uses Generic Learning Outcomes as
a way of assessing the impact libraries (and archives and museums) have on
both formal and informal learning; and MLA are in the process of developing
parallel Generic Social Outcomes [see, for example, Burns Owen Partnership,
2005].

So, where do LGBTs fit into all this?

In the Government context

In terms of the national, Government context, the answer is 'hardly at all'! Very
little work has been undertaken so far to look at the LGBT dimensions of social
exclusion, and, in the series of reports produced by the Social Exclusion Unit as
"Breaking the Cycle" [eg SEU, 2004a], there is almost no mention of LGBT
issues at all. This is particularly significant in relation to the "drivers" of social
exclusion [SEU, 2004b] which apparently ignores work undertaken to show the
effects on young people of homophobic bullying, the links between being LGBT
and some health risks, and so on.

There are two key exceptions to this. Firstly, the Employers Organisation and the
Local Government Association (in conjunction with Stonewall 1121 , UNISON 1131 , and
the Association of London Government 1141 ) has produced a guide [Employers
Organisation, 2003] for local authorities on how to engage with lesbian, gay and
bisexual communities 1131 , particularly in light of the adoption of the Employment
Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2003 1131 .

This excellent guide works through what local authorities need to do in relation
to:

• Corporate planning

• Service delivery and customer care

• Community development and involvement

• Local authority employees

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• Monitoring and evaluation

and we will look at this again in the final part of this chapter.

Second is the review carried out by the UK Gay Men's Health Network [Scott et
at, 2004], which highlights "sexual exclusion" - the health inequalities
experienced by lesbian, gay and bisexual people 1121 .

In terms of building community cohesion, particularly given some of the tensions
between cultural/faith groups and LGBTs, there is also scant regard at national,
policy level to this as an area for development. The Local Government
Association's Guide [LGA, 2004] - which is regarded as the guide for local
authorities - does not mention LGBT issues at all, even though it includes a
range of case studies.

Thankfully, Alison Gilchrist, in her paper on community cohesion for the
Community Development Foundation (Gilchrist, 2004), at least includes an
example from her own experience at a local community association:

"... the Friday evening slot had been simultaneously (and unknowingly)
offered as a 'Caribbean' night and a lesbian social. Neither group wanted
to give up this coveted and highly popular time, so our compromise was
to turn it into a women-only social evening, organised by the lesbian
network and the 'West Indian ladies' group together. It was an amazing
success and quite a breakthrough considering prior levels of antipathy and
suspicion." [pp24-25]

and a recently-published "toolkit" [Government Office for the South West, 2005]
does at least include some useful information in its Glossary, as well as some
suggestions of areas to examine (eg recruitment criteria; how to deal with
unpaid leave and other benefits; confidentiality), even if it does not mention
LGBT issues within the main body of the text!

What has led to the 'invisibility' of LGBT issues in policy/strategy? One key
reason has to be "Clause 28" (see below). Another reason may well be the
Government's determination not to upset "Middle England", so, although there
have been some notable moves towards liberalisation over the last 5 years,
these are rarely promoted.

There are also issues about numbers (and about monitoring). Many LGBT people
will not wish to be identified, and, if the view is correct that, for many of us, our
sexuality changes during our lifetime, then it is going to be almost impossible to
determine exact numbers.

As Stonewall state:

"The Government is using the figure of 5-7% of the population which
Stonewall feels is a reasonable estimate. However, there is no hard data
on the number of lesbians, gay men and bisexuals in the UK as no
national census has ever asked people to define their sexuality.

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Various sociological/commercial surveys have produced a wide range of
estimates, but there is no definitive figure available. ,,Jim

In addition, very few employers have included specific questions about sexual
orientation in staff surveys, so, even at the most basic level, it is hard to know
just how many LGBT people there are 1151 .

"Clause 28"

Although "Clause 28" has now been repealed throughout the UK 1201 , its effect has
been incalculable. Although many people are unaware of the specific terms of
the Clause, they are fully aware of its impact; despite the fact that "Clause 28"
has been repealed, this is still not widely known. As part of training for library
staff - and others - on providing services for LGBTs, I always ask whether
people think that "Clause 28" has been repealed or is still in force, and,
generally, the majority believes it is still in force - and is therefore still
preventing us from providing services for LGBTs.

Where did "Clause 28" come from? Following a spate of anti-LGBT coverage in
the media, and high-profile controversy around some children's books (especially
Jenny lives with Eric and Martin [Bosche, 1983]) which were written about in the
media in the context of libraries' 'banning' Enid Blyton and other 'classics', and
education (particularly the London Borough of Haringey's work on positive
images) 1211 , "Clause 28" was introduced into the Local Government Act [HMSO,
1988], as:

"28 (1) The following section shall be inserted after section 2 of the Local
Government Act 1986 (prohibition of political publicity) -

2A - (1) A local authority shall not -

(a) intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material
with the intention of promoting homosexuality;

(b) promote the teaching in any maintained school of the
acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family
relationship."

The clear intention of the legislation was to prevent 'promotion' of and teaching
about LGBT issues, based, presumably, on the ill-informed notion that people -
especially young people - could be 'turned into' LGBTs.

However, as a piece of legislation, it was never actually used, but, of course, in
many ways it did not need to be - the threat of it was enough.

As Gabrielle Bourn says in her study of museums' provision [Bourn, 1994]:

"Despite the fact that no one has been prosecuted under this clause it is a
convenient tool used by certain councillors, who are often already
prejudiced against lesbians and gay men."

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Unsure of their position, schools back-pedalled in their teaching about sexuality,
and the position of LGBT staff and students became extremely difficult - even
today, some schools are wary of raising LGBT issues in the classroom 1221 .

A number of public library services refused to stock the Pink Paper [see, for
example, Library Association Record 1995a and Library Association Record
1995b] and other LGBT materials; some withdrew support for Lesbian & Gay
Pride; many stopped displaying information and producing booklists and other
promotional materials.

In her survey 1221 of library directors in the UK and in Canada, Ann Curry [1997]
concluded that:

"Overall, the British appear to be reluctantly compromising services to
gays/lesbians to avoid Section 28 prosecution ..."

but, quoting an UK director, was also clear that personal views might well have a
strong effect too:

"'Sex, politics and religion are things which one keeps to oneself. I have
no objection to homosexuality, provided it is kept quiet and out of sight as
that sort of thing should be. I object to it being paraded.'" [p224]

Whether the "Clause" was ever used or not is probably quite irrelevant: what
matters is the effect it has had, especially in relation to self-censorship 1241 .

LGBTs and libraries?

Historical background

Before considering key current issues, I thought that it would be appropriate
here to look briefly at some historical background, and particularly to investigate
what developments have taken place.

In a pioneering article in published in 1987, Richard Ashby [Ashby, 1987] argued
that public libraries were ignoring LGBT issues, and that, whilst there had been
some developments in provision (especially in urban communities), there was a
lack of recognition of the isolation of many LGBTs. Richard Ashby called for
attention to the following:

• Staff training

• The development of materials selection policies, leading to effective
selection practice

• Greater assistance to LGBT users to help them find their way around
libraries

• The urgent need to talk to LGBTs and to LGBT community organisations.

A number of important articles in the 1990s [eg Hendry, 1997; Fairbrother,

1998; Warburton, 1998] and pieces of research [eg Brett, 1992; Abbott, 1998]
have highlighted the need for better provision for LGBTs by libraries, and, as
part of the research project, "Public Library Policy and Social Exclusion" 1221 , we
produced an overview of the then national and international position, and a

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

summary of the UK library position (together with a list of recommended
actions) [Vincent, 1999].

What was clear from all this work was that, whilst there were exciting
developments taking place in some libraries, these were sporadic and piecemeal.

Although, in the 1970s and early 1980s, there had been significant
developments in provision for LGBTs by a number of library authorities, by the
mid-1990s much of this had disappeared, influenced by "Clause 28", but also by
budget cuts, national political change, the waning of community librarianship
[see Black and Muddiman, 1997], and the fear of being considered 'politically
correct' 1251 .

It is worth remembering too that it was only in 1995 that a group of the then
Library Association (now CHIP) organised the first course 1221 on library services
for LGBTs ("Less equal than others". Community Services Group, October 1995)
and, even in 1995, some attendees were nervous of being there, in case their
employers found out that they were LGBT 1221 .

LGBTs and library policy

Just as, at a national level in the UK, there is relatively little mention of LGBT
issues in policy and strategy documents, so there also little mention in library
policy documents.

Whilst looking at the need to tackle social exclusion. Framework for the future
does not include any mention of LGBTs, nor are they specifically mentioned in
the latest Action Plan from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council [MLA,
2004b].

However, CILIP have produced a useful document in their "Equal Opportunities
Briefings" series [CILIP, 2004] which outlines policy and practice which library
staff can use as a starting point.

LGBTs and libraries today

So, what does provision for LGBTs in libraries look like in 2005? What do staff
think? And how are LGBT staff themselves treated?

As I have noted elsewhere recently [Vincent, 2005b], there may be some sort of
liberal consensus regarding LGBTs and the services we provide, but, dig a bit
deeper, and there may be a very different range of views! On training courses
run over the last five years or so, people have commented for example:

• "Lesbians and gay men don't need library services.

• Lesbians and gay men don't need anything specific - they are just like
everyone else really.

• All the stock is porn!

• If it weren't for people like you raising these issues, it would all go away.

• And even: 'John was very nice, but he didn't need to tell us he was gay!"'

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

In addition, a very few staff have refused to handle or have sent back LGBT
stock when it arrives in their libraries.

Is it any wonder that LGBT people do not want to use some public libraries? Or
that LGBT staff do not want to come out?

At the same time, however, there are examples of outstanding work by libraries
to reach their LGBT communities and to support their LGBT staff.

One public library service that shines out in terms of its commitment to and
provision for LGBTs is Brighton & Hove. When he surveyed its use back in 1998,
Mark Norman found that Brighton & Hove provided not only successful
collections of materials, but also had a high level of user involvement in this
provision [Norman, 1998]. These trends have continued, and a brief description
of some of the highlights of their work can be found in the CILIP Diversity
Group's newsletter [Harvey, 2005].

Some library services (eg Haringey 1221 ) have taken the opportunity of Gay &
Lesbian History Month [see below] to launch new collections of LGBT materials;
and some (eg Norfolk 1221 ) are developing consultations with LGBT people in the
area - library users and non-users.

February 2005 was the first UK Gay & Lesbian History Month, and a much more
hopeful sign was the number of public libraries that took part in this. These
included 1211 :

• Barnet - LGBT history displays at three libraries

• Belfast Central Library - exhibition, "Pride and Protest"

• Birmingham - displays of their LGBT stock

• Blackpool Central Library - display of artwork by young people

• Bristol central Library - produced an art exhibition, "Under the Rainbow",
featuring the work of LGBT artists over the last 150 years

• Bromley - "Rainbow Reads" book promotion

• Enfield Central Library - display of their LGBT stock

• Haringey - launched a new book collection and booklist

• Harris Library, Lancashire - display of their LGBT stock

• Newham - display of their LGBT stock, an exhibition by local
photographer, Phil Maxwell, and a celebration event

• Portsmouth Central Library - "Bi-Textual" book promotion (contemporary
paperback fiction from and featuring the LGBT community)

• Southwark - hosted talks by writers Mark Simpson, Stella Duffy and Jake
Arnott

• Wandsworth - produced a short booklist, and each library put on a display
of their LGBT stock.

There is also an exciting new development, "The Big Gay Read" 1221 , which is a
mix of recommendations for reading (mainly fiction), plus a survey to find
Britain's favourite gay reads, and a timely promotion for LGBT materials.

Local authorities also reflect their stance on LGBT issues by the way they state -
and implement - their equalities policy statements. Some positive examples
include:

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

Devon County Council have a brief, glossy guide, Justice through equality
..., [Devon County Council, nd b] which spells out the key messages:

• "Commitment to eliminate homophobic prejudice and
discrimination.

• Not assuming everyone is heterosexual during interaction or
planning services.

• Acknowledgement of same-sex partners.

• Facilitating a safe environment for LGBT employees."

and a specific LGBT policy [Devon County Council, nd a] which clearly sets
out the authority's commitments.

St Helens Council has a clear statement [St Helens Council, nd] which
includes:

"2. The Council will:

2.1 Encourage the organisations it funds to develop and implement
lesbian, gay and bisexual equality policies.

2.2 Work towards enabling lesbian, gay and bisexual employees at
all levels in the workforce to feel safe in being open about their
sexual identity.

2.3 Take positive steps in conditions of service to take accounts of
the rights of lesbian, gay and bisexual employees, including
recognition of their needs as partners, having partners, and as
parents and carers.

2.4 Make provisions for anti-homophobia awareness training in
existing training courses. Where necessary, make additional
provision for such training in order to address issues, including the
impact of homophobia on the organisation, policy and activities of
the Council, its employees and others acting on its behalf

2.5 Ensure that all information, publicity and advertising over which
the council has control and/or influence is non-homophobic and
uses positive images and language to counteract the effects of
homophobia and promote equality for lesbians, gay men and
bisexual men and women.

2.6 Work with partners in the Hate Crime Reduction Group to
effectively record and respond to and reduce the number of
homophobic incidents within the Borough.

2.7 In policy development, service planning and delivery, the
Council will ensure that the people do not receive a different quality
of service due to their sexuality or sexual orientation."

Sheffield City Council has a staff working group on LGBT issues 1331 , and, at
the beginning of 2005, produced a report for the Council's Scrutiny Board
[Sheffield City Council, 2005] which outlined work-to-date (and which also
reports that Sheffield will be asking questions about sexual orientation in
their staff survey).

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

So, what would successful provision for LGBT people look like?

To some extent, it could be simplistic to produce a 'picture' of what success
might be like, but these pointers may be of help - some of the general, non¬
libraries suggestions are drawn from the Employers Organisation guide [2003]
(and the guide also includes much more detail on local authority work in this
area in general):

Getting started

• Find out about the national context - eg via Stonewall, Trade Unions,
Government and other organisations

• Find out about local LGBT communities - eg are there local political,
support or community groups? Think about other organisations - with
many of which we will already have strong links - via which we can
consult (eg Age Concern, Mind)

• Find out what kinds of services local LGBT people would like from libraries
- users and non-users - and develop open and responsive consultative
methods 041

• Find out what other library services are providing

• Ensure that both mainstream and specific needs are met

• Build active partnerships and joint ownership of provision, involving LGBT
representatives in service planning and evaluation

• Avoid establishing an hierarchy, whereby some equality issues are seen as
more important than others

Staffing issues

• Provide training for all staff, and incorporate sexuality awareness into
other training (eg induction, recruitment & selection, harassment, and
customer care training)

• Create a supportive environment for staff - eg set up or support LGBT
employees' groups, and/or work through Trade Unions

• Tackle workplace discrimination by colleagues, managers and service
users by developing policies on homophobic harassment

• Consider targeted recruitment in LGBT press (eg Pink Paper 051 ) - and
ensure that the recruitment & selection process do not discriminate on
grounds of sexuality

• Ensure that social events are LGBT-friendly (and, for example, that LGBT
staff are not isolated in the staffroom 051 )

Stock

• A wide range of fiction, nonfiction, reference and information material
(including magazines and directories) which will be of direct appeal to
LGBTs (and which, of course, will also appeal to everyone else!)

• LGBT people have the same interests and needs as everyone else, so
access to the full range of library services is important.

• Stock arrangement is still a thorny topic! Some libraries have separate
LGBT sections, others shelve LGBT titles in the main fiction and nonfiction
sequences. Which any library does will depend, to some extent, on the
results of consultation - although, of course, it is important to assess

41

Information for Social Change Issue 26

views received to see if they are likely to be representative. The most
satisfactory solution for many people seems to be to have the stock
interfiled, but highlighted via booklists (which must be regularly updated,
perhaps via the online catalogue or intranet) and special displays (eg to
mark Pride and Lesbian & Gay History Month), as well as ensuring that
there is a LGBT dimension to everything else - for example, within any
Black History Month or disability displays.

• When writing tender documents for suppliers of library materials, there
must be a specific set of targets for suppliers to reach in relation to LGBT
titles

• If possible, ensure that a part of the stockfund is still set aside for
purchasing from small, independent suppliers (such as Gay's The Word 1171 ,
Bookscan 1331 , Libertas lesbian online bookshop 1321 , and Silver Moon
women's bookshop 1421 ).

Access to ICT

• Beware filters! Some organisations' filters do not allow access to anything
with the word 'sex' in it, others block words such as 'lesbian', 'sexuality'

Monitoring and evaluation

As noted above, monitoring is going to be more complicated than for other
equalities areas, if employers wish to respect confidentiality. However, we can at
the very least look at the following:

• Establish benchmarks for service provision

• Assess service provision against benchmarks and identify improvements
that need to be made

• Use the Equality Standard for Local Government 1411 as a way of assessing
the current position and determining progress to be made

• Integrate targets on sexual orientation into all equalities action plans and
service policies and plans

• Work with local LGBT groups and individuals to assess and improve
service delivery

• Talk to staff about the possibility of including questions about sexual
orientation in surveys

• "Be transparent ... [especially about] what processes you will adopt and
what you will do with the information you gain" [p66].

John Vincent
2005

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

References

Abbott, Philip (1998) How managers can manage diversity and overcome
discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. BA (Hons) major project
dissertation, Manchester Metropolitan University

Arts Council of England (1998) Reading for life: Conference report

Ashby, Richard (1987) "Library services to lesbian and gay people" Assistant
Librarian 80 (10), ppl53-155

Atkinson, Rob (2000) "Combating social exclusion in Europe: the new urban
policy challenge" Urban Studies 37 (5-6), ppl037-1055

Behr, Alison (1990) "Where are we now? Section 28: two years on" Assistant
Librarian 83 (9) ppl32-134

Black, Alistair and Muddiman, Dave (1997) Understanding community
librarianship: the public library in post-modern Britain. Avebury

Bosche, Susanne (1983) Jenny lives with Eric and Martin. Gay Men's Press

Bourn, Gabrielle (1994) Invisibility: a study of the representation of lesbian and
gay history and culture in social history museums. MA dissertation, University of
Leicester

Brett, Phil (1992) "Politics and public library provision for lesbians and gay men
in London" International Journal of Information and Library research 4 (3),
PP195-211

Burns Owen Partnership (2005) New Directions in Social Policy: developing the
evidence base for museums, libraries and archives in England. MLA

CILIP (2004) Sexual orientation and libraries ("Equal Opportunities Briefings"
series)

Available at:

www.dlip.orq.uk/professionalQuidance/eaualopportunities/briefinos/sexualitv.ht

HI

Cooper, Davina (1994) Sexing the city: lesbian and gay politics within the
activist state. Rivers Oram Press

Curry, Ann (1997) The limits of tolerance: censorship and intellectual freedom in
public libraries. Scarecrow Press

Denham, John (2001) Foreword in Home Office (2001) Community cohesion: a
report of the Independent Review Team chaired by Ted Cantle

DCMS (1997) Policy Action Team 10: Arts and Sport

DCMS (1999) Libraries for all: social inclusion in public libraries - policy guidance
for local authorities in England

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

DCMS (2001) Building on PAT 10: progress report on social inclusion

DCMS (2003) Framework for the future: libraries, learning and information in the
next decade

Devon County Council (nd a) Lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans equality policy
Available at:

www.devon.qov.uk/index/vour council/improvinq our services/equality and di

versitv/commitment eq/policies eq/lqbt eq.htm. accessed 11 October 2005

Devon County Council (nd b) Justice through equality: a guide to Devon County
Council's commitment to equality and diversity

Available at: www.devon.qov.uk/iustice equalitv.pdf . accessed 11 October 2005

Employers Organisation (2007) Sexuality - the new agenda: a guide for local
authorities on engaging with lesbian, gay and bisexual communities
Available at: http://www.idea.qov.uk/idk/aio/6546706 , accessed 11 February
2008

Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation) Regulations (2003) HMSO

Fairbrother, Peter (1998) "Information provision for gay users" Community
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Fitzpatrick, S (1999) Poverty and social inclusion in Glasgow [discussion paper
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Geddes, Mike (2000)

Strategies for social inclusion: learning from the Scottish experience. LGIU (Local
Authorities and Social Exclusion Network, Research Paper 1)

Gilchrist, Alison (2004) Community cohesion and community development:
bridges or barricades? Community Development Foundation

Government Office for the South West (2005) Community cohesion toolkit

Harvey, Joanne (2005) "Services to the lesbian, gay, bi- and trans¬
communities" Diversity Group Newsletter Spring, p2

Hendry, Judy (1997) "Freedom of information: the lesbian and gay issue"
Assistant Librarian 90 (3) March 1997, pp37-40

HMSO (1988) Local Government Act 1988 (Chapter 9)

Home Office (2001) Community cohesion: a report of the Independent Review
Team chaired by Ted Cantle

Home Office (2004) Building community cohesion into Area Based Initiatives
Available at: www.neiqhbourhood.qov.uk/formatteddoc.asp7id-793

44

Information for Social Change Issue 26

Jennett, Mark (2004) Stand up for us: challenging homophobia in schools.
DfES/Health Development Agency
Available at: www.wiredforhealth.qov.uk

Library Association Record (1995a) "... as Section 28 saga continues" 97 (3)
March 1995, pl40

Library Association Record (1995b) "Section 28 saga continues" 97 (11)
November 1995, p579

Local Government Association (2001a) All together now? A survey of local
authority approaches to social inclusion and anti-poverty

Local Government Association (2001b) Supporting inclusive communities:
lesbians, gay men and local democracy

Local Government Association (2002) Guidance on community cohesion

Local Government Association (2004) Community cohesion - an action guide

Montgomery, Alasdair and Behr, Alison (1988) "Significant others" Assistant
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Muddiman, Dave et al (2000a) Open to all? The public library and social
exclusion - Volume 1: Overview and conclusions. Resource (Library and
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Muddiman, Dave et al (2000b) Open to all? The public library and social
exclusion - Volume 2: Survey, case studies and methods. Resource (Library and
Information Commission Research Report 86)

Muddiman, Dave et al (2000c) Open to all? The public library and social
exclusion - Volume 3: Working papers. Resource (Library and Information
Commission Research Report 86)

Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (2004a) Inspiring learning for all
Available at: www.inspirinqlearninqforall.qov.uk

Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (2004b) Framework for the future:
Action Plan 2004-06

Available at: www.mla.qov.uk/documents/fff ap2004.pdf

The Network Newsletter: tackling social exclusion in libraries, museums, archives
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Norman, Mark (1998) Out on loan. BA dissertation, University of Brighton

Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (2002) "New shared priorities to focus
improvements in public services". News Release 2002/0278
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Information for Social Change Issue 26

Percy-Smith, Janie (editor) (2002) Policy responses to social exclusion: towards
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St Helens Council (nd) St Helens Council comprehensive equality policy
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www.sthelens.gov. uk/website/publications.nsf/Lookup/raceequalitvdoc/$file/Co

mprehensiveEqualitvPolicv.pdf

Scott, Susan Douglas, Pringle, Alistair and Lumsdaine, Colin (2004) Sexual
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people. UK Gay Men's Health Network

Sheffield City Council (2005) Update on the Council's work on lesbian, gay,
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diversitv/sexual-orientation-transqender

Social Exclusion Unit (2001) Preventing social exclusion: a report by the Social
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Social Exclusion Unit (2004a) Breaking the cycle: taking stock of progress and
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Stonewall (2003) Profiles of prejudice. Citizenship 21

Valentine, Gill and McDonald, Ian (2004) Understanding prejudice: attitudes
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Vincent, John (1999) "Lesbians, bisexuals, gay men and transgendered people"
m Muddiman et al (2000c), pp62-86
Available at: www.seapn.orq.uk

Vincent, John (2000) "Political correctness" in Muddiman et al (2000c), pp350-
361

Available at: www.seapn.orq.uk

Vincent, John (2003) Cross-domain guidance materials on social inclusion:
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Vincent, John (2005a) Libraries and community cohesion. SEMLAC
Available at: www.semlac.orq.uk/communitvcohesion.html

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Vincent, John (2005b) "'So, who are 'proper' library users then?"' Public Library
Journal 20 (3) Autumn 2005, plO

Warburton, John (1998) "How serious is your commitment to your lesbian and
gay readers?" Community Librarian 20 Spring 1998, pp6-9

Warwick, Ian et al (2004) Homophobia, sexual orientation and schools: a review
and implications for action. DfES (Research Report 594)

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

Appendix 1: The Network - tackling social exclusion in
libraries, museums, archives and galleries

The Network was formed in 1999, growing out of the research project, "Public
Library Policy and Social Exclusion".

A key feature of this project was that we held regular seminars to discuss
preliminary findings with practitioners, and, at one of these seminars in February
1999, the participants asked if a network of some sort could be formed, in order
for them to share good practice and to prevent 'reinventing the wheel'.

The Network was formed in 1999, starting primarily with library authorities in
London and the South East - however, by October 1999, we had over 20
organisational members.

Since then, we have broadened our remit to include museums, archives and
other organisations (including the Heritage Lottery Fund, Manchester
Metropolitan University, the House of Lords Record Office, the Petrie Museum,
the British Museum, the British Library, and the National Library of Wales), and,
today we have 120 members (plus some 15 individuals). Once one part of a
local authority joins The Network, this confers membership on the whole
authority, and some of our members have used this to take advantage of
reduced training course rates.

Its activities include:

Running training courses and conferences

These are a mix of open courses (which anyone can attend) and in-house
training courses which are developed to meet specific needs of local authorities.
Topics covered include:

• An introduction to tackling social exclusion

• Working with socially excluded children

• Working with looked-after children and young people

• Providing services for lesbians and gay men

• Working with refugees and asylum-seekers.

Some courses have also been provided for staff outside the
libraries/museums/archives fields: for example, the introductory course has
been run for the whole senior management team of a borough council; and the
services for lesbians and gay men course has been provided for a London
Borough's Children's Play staff, and a county authority's HR and Equalities
managers.

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

Specific projects

The Network is also involved in delivering specific projects, including developing
a training kit for library staff working with looked-after young people (funded by
the Paul Hamlyn Foundation); developing service provision for refugees and
asylum-seekers (firstly, with Kent Arts & Libraries as part of a DCMS/Wolfson
project; and now as a partner with the London Library Development Agency in a
Paul Hamlyn Foundation project to develop a model for service delivery across
the UK).

In addition to this, we produce a monthly newsletter, drawing together news,
good practice, reviews of key documents, updates of work at national/
Government level, and manage a number of email discussion lists for members
to share good practice and make enquiries of each other.

We also maintain a website which gives access to a wealth of information in
these fields ( www.seapn.orq.uk) .

111 Looking at recent developments in the US, it is also clear why LGBT issues are
still seen as radical. In its announcement of the 2005 Banned books Week, the
American Library Association stated:

"Almost 25 years after its initiation, Banned Books Week (September 24-
October 1) has special resonance as gay and lesbian-themed books come under
attack.

Three of the 10 books on the "Ten Most Challenged Books of 2004," compiled by
the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom, were
cited for homosexual themes—which is the highest number in a decade. These
titles include:

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky [Simon & Schuster,

1999]

"King & King" by Linda de Haan and Stern Nijland [Tricycle Press, 2002]

"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou [eg Virago, 1993]

In the wake of proposed legislation and resolutions in several states this year to
restrict or prohibit access to materials related to sexual orientation, the ALA
Council passed a resolution in June affirming the inclusion of materials that
reflect the diversity of our society and encouraging libraries to acquire and make
available materials representative of all people.

'The voices and stories of gays and lesbians cannot be silenced in our culture or
on our bookshelves," said ALA President Michael Gorman. "Banning books is an
extreme disservice to our readers. Not only does it hinder tolerance and
acceptance, it also limits the information exchange Americans hold dear.'"

[taken from:

www.ala.orq/ala/pio/piopresskits/bannedbooksweek2005/bbooks2005.htm 1.

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

And, earlier in 2005, Tulsa (Oklahoma) libraries moved books written for
children about gay families out of the children's library, after Oklahoma
lawmakers passed a resolution telling publicly-funded libraries that such books
should be placed in "Adults Only" sections ["Library moves kids books on gay
families from children's section",

www.365qav.com/newscon05/05/051305books.htm , accessed 11 October
2005].

m Further information about Clause 28 is included in the section on where LGBTs
fit into all the policy development.

m A biennial conference organised by the Chartered Institute of Library and
Information Professionals [CILIP], which brings together all the groups and
branches of CILIP under one roof.

m This section has been adapted from guidance notes on the MLA Website
[Vincent, 2003].

m There is a useful paper by Rob Atkinson [Atkinson, 2000], which looks at
some of this background.

121 Breaking the cycle is one of a series of reports from the SEU, published in
2004, and assessing progress-to-date in tackling social exclusion - they also
indicate work that needs to be undertaken next to make services less hard-to-
reach. For further information, see www.socialexclusion.qov.uk .
m In developing a paper for the South East Museums, Libraries and Archives
Council [Vincent, 2005a], I discussed community cohesion with a number of
people working in this area, and these points were drawn from their comments.
121 Further information and updates are available at: www.mla.qov.uk .

121 See:

www.culture.qov.uk/qlobal/publications/archive 2004/librarv standards.htm .

1121 Further information available at:
www.mla.qov.uk/action/framework/framework 04a.asp .

1111 To support these, every public library service in England also has to carry out
a community profile, which will give a good opportunity for assessing the needs
of LGBT people in the area.

1121 Stonewall is an organisation campaigning on behalf of lesbians, gay men and
bisexuals - see: www.stonewall.orq.uk/ .

1111 The public service union - see: www.unison.orq.uk/ .

^ See: www.alq.qov.uk/ .

1121 This document updated and replaced earlier work by the Local Government
Association [2001b].

1121 The European Union established a general framework forequality of
treatment in employment and vocational training via Directive 2000/78/EC. This
is being enacted in the UK via the Employment Equality (Sexual Orientation)
Regulations 2003 which came into force on 2 December 2003. These Regulations
- and other legislative developments - make it necessary for all local authorities
to develop and implement policies concerning equality for lesbians, gay and
bisexual employees. It also means that there is an obligation on the employer
not to discriminate, and the Employers Organisation document [2003] suggests
that, "[b]ecause of the interface between local authority staff and service users,
it will also be necessary to consider the implications for lesbian, gay and bisexual
people in the community." [pl3]

1121 If anyone is unsure of the extent to which lesbians, gay men and bisexual
people are discriminated against, this is required reading!

1121 Taken from: www.stonewall.orq.uk/information bank/faq/79.aso . accessed
11 October 2005.

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

1121 One library service received regular complaints from a disgruntled user about
their provision of LGBT materials, because, he argued, they did not even know
how many people they were providing for.

1221 "Clause 28" was repealed first in Scotland in 2002, and then in England and
Wales in 2003.

1211 For further information about this, as well as a critique of attempts by local
authorities to deal with LGBT issues, see Davina Cooper [1994].

1221 The DfES have published two valuable documents recently: a review of the
effects of homophobia in schools, with "implications for action" [Warwick etal,
2004]; and a guide to assist schools in challenging homophobia [Jennett, 2004].
1221 The survey included the views of 30 UK and 30 Canadian library directors.

1241 In a workshop at the Arts Council Conference, "Reading for Life", April 1998,
one of the key points to emerge was that "Clause 28" had become an alibi for
self-censorship and inactivity [Arts Council, 1998].

1251 This was a research project funded by the then Library and Information
Commission. The final report was published in 3 volumes by Resource
[Muddiman eta/, 2000a-c].

1231 For further discussion of the way in which the term 'political correctness' has
been distorted and used to block liberal developments, see Vincent, 2000.

1221 Previously, the then Association of Assistant Librarians (now the Career
Development Group), South-East Division had organised sexuality awareness
training for their committee [Montgomery and Behr, 1988], and Alison Behr had
also organised a course for the AAL, South-East Division in 1990 on "Section 28:
2 years on" [Behr, 1990].

1221 This contrasts with, for example, the US, where there has been a LGBT body
within the American Library Association since the 1970s - now the Gay, Lesbian,
Bisexual and Transgendered Round Table
( www.ala.org/ala/qlbtrt/welcomeqlbtround .htm ).).

1221 See: www.harinqey.qov.uk/qavbookcollection.htm .

1221 See The Network Newsletter ..., 2005.

1211 Information taken from The Network website at: www.seapn.orq.uk/lqbt.html
(accessed 17 August 2005).

1221 See: www.biqqavread.com .

1221 For further information on the Council's work in this area, see:
www.sheffield.qov.uk/vour-dtv-coundl/equality-and-diversitv/sexual-

orientation-transqender .

1241 As the Employers Organisation guide says, "Recognise the challenges of
'representatives'. Ask the lesbian, gay and bisexual people that you are working
with to clarify whether they are sharing personal opinions or whether they can
consult with a wider constituency." [plO]

1221 www.pinkpaper.com/ .

1221 It is normal for staff to discuss their out-of-work activities - but we need to
ensure that LGBT staff are not made to feel that they cannot talk about what
they have been doing at the weekend.

1221 http://freespace.virqin.net/qavs.theword/ .

1221 www.bookscan.ukqatewav.net/ .

1221 www.libertas.co.uk/ .

1221 www.fovles.co.uk/fovles/sm/default.asp .

1411 For further information, see: www.lq-emplovers.qov.uk .

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

Public Libraries and the Digital Divide

John Pateman

The People's Network is one of the public sector's most successful infrastructure
projects. While the government struggled to build the Millennium Dome on time
and in budget, local authorities delivered the biggest modernisation program in
the history of public libraries. The aim of this program was ambitious, noble and
pragmatic - to provide free access to the internet at every public library. Why,
then, do we still see newspaper headlines like these ?

'Digital world creates a new underclass' (1)

'Disadvantaged miss out as digital divide deepens' (2)

'Just who is using the web?' (3)

Elderly and poor people are being left behind by sweeping changes in modern
life, according to Consumer Futures (4), a study by the National Consumer
Council. These people are disadvantaged by the rise of internet shopping and
banking and the lack of face to face contact with managers to resolve problems.
The result is a growing divide between well educated customers, who are
comfortable internet users, and poorer families who find it hard to work their
way through glitches with bills and labyrinthine telephone complaints lines.

More than 13 million people in Britain live in households below the low income
threshold. More than two million people have no bank account. Those who need
internet the most often have least access to it. Just 28% of people over the age
of 65 have home access, against a UK average of 57%. This is a barrier to old
and poor people being able to access basic services. The increasing migration of
services online, with the best deals available only to the digitally empowered, is
reinforcing social exclusion.

A National Audit Office report (5) has estimated that 75% of people counted as
socially excluded are also digitally excluded - this includes those who are out of
work, in poor health, live in social housing, live alone, or have a low level of
qualification. The focus of this report is the lack of access that disadvantaged
people have to government services. It's these people that must be targeted by
government so they get the same information and benefits available to 'online
citizens.'

New research from UK online centres and FreshMinds, Understanding digital
inclusion (6) identifies the digital divide not just as a wide problem but as a deep
one, with those stuck on the wrong side more excluded and harder to reach than
ever before. While 61% of the population are getting all the benefits of digital
access, the remaining 39% are not - and market forces, demographic change
and government policy are making no difference to this divide.

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

Futurelab (7) has proposed a new 'charter for change' to tackle the digital
divide. This charter challenges the government to act now to ensure that
everyone can make informed and empowered choices over ICT use and their
access to technology. We need to move beyond the assumption that simply
providing hardware and offering access to ICT will bridge the gap. This was one
of the assumptions behind the People's Network when it was first introduced.

The People's Network

The People's Network has played a big part in reversing the decline in visits to
public libraries and attracting new and different users. But the latest figures
show a worrying blip in the steady increase in visits that has characterised the
last five years. While total visits are still 4.4% up since 2002/03, the total fell by
1.4% between 2005-06 and 2006/07. Part of the reason for this might be a
failure to maximise the benefits of the People's Network due to the introduction
of charges, internet filtering and out of date equipment and software.

Charging is the biggest barrier to accessing the People's Network. These charges
widen the digital divide and break the spirit of the government funding which
made the Network possible. Charging also creates another income dependency
similar to the millstone attached to audio visual services. When services become
subject to market forces any decline in income can lead to library closures and
staff redundancies. There are plenty of disaster stories around which tell us that
charging for the People's Network is a bad idea.

• Authority A has charged to access the People's Network since it was
introduced. When this charge was waived for the first 20 minutes in
2005/06 to encourage visits, income fell and charges were reintroduced
the following year. However, this then led to a drop in usage of more than
50%.

• Authority B introduced charges in February 2007, usage dropped by 50%
and visits went down by 25%.

• Authority C introduced charges three years ago, use fell by 40% over
night and has never recovered. They are now considering abolishing
charges but halving the number of People's Network terminals.

• Authority D introduced charges for all usage except for 30 minutes on
information sites. Usage dropped by 50% and visitor numbers fell.

• Authority E has reduced their charges as they were losing trade to local
internet cafes.

The general pattern is that authorities who have introduced charges have
experienced significant drops in both usage and visitor numbers and have not
always met their income targets. Staff time in administering the charges has
also increased, creating a very false economy. I have disguised the names of
these authorities but perhaps they should be published within a league table
which shows who is charging, and how much, for this publicly funded service?
And perhaps the worst offenders should be asked to pay back their National
Lottery grant which was provided with the aim of narrowing the digital divide?

Charges are not the only barrier to accessing the People's Network. A mystery
shopping exercise (8) in 14 libraries found that policies on internet access varied
in public libraries across the country. Access to the internet was refused by 2

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

authorities because proof of ID was not given. Among the 12 sites providing
access there was no consistency in internet filtering. Only two libraries blocked
nothing. In the other 10 libraries, the most commonly blocked were chat sites
(50%), an advice site for gay teenagers (33%) and a gambling site (33%). None
of these sites were illegal, and their availability in other libraries raises questions
about consistency of access to legitimate content across the country. To
compound the problem, much of this filtering is covert and so the user does not
even know that they are being denied access to legal sites.

Another barrier to access is the failure of some library authorities to refresh their
computer hardware and ensure that the latest programmes are available to
service users. Terminals go out of date very quickly, slow down and crash,
making a simple internet search very frustrating. Some authorities will not allow
users to download information onto memory sticks, or upload their work onto
public terminals because of concerns about network security. The effect of all
these barriers is to create a two tier internet service - the Oxford Internet
Survey (9) has pointed out that 'the wealthy probably have super speedy home
connections and access at work, while the poor make do with internet cafes and
possibly school computers.'The People's Network does not even get mentioned.

The Oxford Survey indicates that 90% of university graduates use the net,
against only 55% of people with a basic secondary school education. The
internet is used by 91% of households with an income of over £50,000, against
just 39% with an income of under £12,500. And disabled people are under
represented on the net, with only 36% online against 77% of the able bodied.
The digital divide is both a symptom and a cause of social exclusion. This divide
will only be reduced or eliminated when the following conditions are created:

• all individuals are able to exercise an empowered and informed choice
about their use or non use of ICT

• all individuals have ready access to the requisite social and technical
support, skills and know how to support their use of ICT

• all individuals have ready access to ICT based content and services which
are relevant and useful to their needs and interests

• all individuals have ready access to a full range of ICT hardware and
software

For public libraries to play their part in achieving this we must abolish charges
for internet access, we must remove filters and other forms of internet
censorship, and we must keep our hardware and software fully up to date. If we
fail to do this then the huge investment, time and effort put into the People's
Network will have been wasted and public libraries will become part of the
problem, rather than the solution, to the digital divide.

References

(1) Jo Revill, 'Digital world creates a new underclass', Observer, 6 January 2008

(2) 'Disadvantaged miss out as digital divide deepens', Local Government IT In
Use, July / August 2007

(3) James Eagle, 'Just who is using the web?', Morning Star, 4 August 2007

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(4) Consumer Futures, National Consumer Council, 2008

(5) www.nao.qov.uk

(6) UK online centres and FreshMinds, Understanding digital inclusion,
www.ukonlinecentres.co.uk

(7) Futurelab, Beyond the digital divide: rethinking digital inclusion for the 21 st
century, www.futurelab.orq.uk

(8) Open Gateway or Guarded Fortress?, University of Strathclyde, 2006

(9) Oxford Internet Survey, www.oii.ox.ac.uk . 2007

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

Are we all being served?

Andrew Hudson

In tackling social exclusion we need to consider whether there are groups that
are under using the library. In the early nineties, Sumison and Creaser
conducted some research into the relationship between deprivation and library
usage in London and the Metropolitan Districts of England (1). This research was
restricted to socio-economic indicators on the D of E Urban Index such as
housing or car ownership and did not cover other non- economic social factors
such as religion, ethnicity or age. There research demonstrated that there was
an inverse statistical relationship between the levels of deprivation as measured
by the Urban index and book issues in other words book issues tended to be
lower in areas where deprivation was high. They also demonstrated a
relationship between some individual factors that were used in the Urban Index
and library issues. They used a technique known as regression analysis the
details of which are shown by Davies and Kenrick in their article on Statistics for
Librarians in the Assistant Librarian (2). I have applied regression analysis to the
issues for 2003/4 and the deprivation index for 2004 (3), to see if a correlation
of statistical relationship still existed and the result suggested that it did. There
is one difference in that there no longer appears to be two distinctly identifiable
populations for inner city areas and suburbs.

I also decided to check various social factors such as religion and ethnic
background to see if there was any relationship with library usage, with the
intention of finding out if library were serving the whole community. There is one
difference in that there no longer appears to be two distinctly identical
populations. I also decided to test all issues rather than just book issues to see
whether there was a correlation for all issues? have attempted to see if there is
any apparent correlation, using regression analysis, between some of these
factors and library issues to gain an indication of whether libraries are serving
the whole community.

The authorities have been restricted to the 32 London Boroughs as there are
considerable variations in the social composition of the 32 boroughs making
them a good laboratory to undertake research. In particular, London has a high
proportion of residents belonging to ethnic minorities, which account for around
a third of the resident population of Greater London as a whole. There are also
considerable variations between boroughs from Havering with around 5% of the
population belonging to ethnic minorities, to Newham with just over 60%. The
City of London has been excluded, as its library users are largely non-residents.
It should be noted that correlation does not necessarily mean causality;
sometimes there may be an overall cause. The statistics used for these
individual factors are taken from the 2001 Census and the 2000-2001 CIPFA
Performance indicators as they are from the financial year for which the census
took place (4).

According to Sumsion and Creaser where large sets of data are involved a
coefficients of + OR - 0.40 considered indicative of a relationship between

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

variables regardless of statistical significance. (5) Regression analysis for total
issues and deprivation only puts the coefficient at-0.35, which is short of the 0.4
mark. However the plot in Figure 2 looks on the charts in Figure 1 appears to be
fairly similar to that for book issues -

Figure 1

Book Issues and Deprivation for 2003/4

c 10

& 9

1 8
Q. -7

o 7
a

(/> 4

a)

w 3
■* 2
8 i

“ o

0 10 20 30 40 50

Deprivation Index

Figure 2

Total Issues and Deprivation for 2003/4

C

O

£

0)

a

0)

a

V)

E

a)

o

0)

D

if)

if)

Deprivation Index

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

When individual factors are considered from social; groupings rather than
deprivation some correlations are found as shown below

Figure 3 Relationship between library issues and Social Grouping in the
London Boroughs in 2001 the significant statistics are highlighted

Social Grouping

Coefficient of Correlation

% White Residents

0.42

% Ethnic Minorities

-0.41

% Afro-Caribbean Residents

-0.58

% Asian Residents

-0.10

% Christians

0.37

% Moslems

-0.57

% Hindus

-0.09

% People with no religion

-0.35

% People over 60

0.56

% Under 16

0.08

It should be borne in minds that when two sets of statistics appear to show a
relationship it does not necessarily mean that it is cause and effect and in many
cases may be due to another underlying factor, which may be social class where
deprivation is concerned which as John Pateman has pointed out on numerous
occasions is still an issue.

The analysis suggests a direct relationship between over 60's and white
residents and an inverse one with some ethnic minorities and Moslems. If added
to the findings of Sumsion and Creaser it suggests that libraries are used
disproportionately by a white middle class readership and are particularly
popular with the over 60s. This is a hardly surprising conclusion and quantifies
what many librarians could suggest from anecdotal evidence. However if
individual ethnic minority groupings are examined, then there are differences.
There may be an inverse relationship between ethnic minority populations in
general and usage it is significant where the Afro-Caribbean community is
concerned but not with the Asian community. Both these labels are almost
certainly too broad as there may be differences in library usage within the Afro-
Caribbean community between residents of direct African ancestry and residents
of Caribbean ancestry and likewise in the Asian community between residents
with ancestry from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries

With religion, the correlation coefficient for Christian is not far off 0.40. There is
an inverse correlation between Moslems and library usage but a non-significant
one where Hindus are concerned. This could be indicative of a difference
between people from India and Pakistan but it may be too great a generalisation
as although Pakistan is 99% Moslem by no means all Moslems are from
Pakistan. Census Statistics from Waltham Forest show the percentage of
Moslems in the borough to be 15.1 whilst the percentage of residents of
Pakistani origin is 7.9, which is only slightly greater than half. The world's
second largest Moslem population is found in India where Moslems are a
minority religion but the population of India is large. In Tower Hamlets there is a
large Bengali population who are Moslems.

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

Language is not an area covered in censuses; the only statistics available are
from DFEE statistics. However it should be born in mind that the statistics apply
only to the school populations whereas the issue statistics apply to the whole
population. Nevertheless there is a correlation of -0.47. These figures are for
1996/7 (6) and there may well have been changes since possibly with a higher
number of pupils for whom English is an additional language. There is a need for
first language to be included in the next census as there are communities hidden
in the OPCS data such as the increasing number of Eastern European migrants in
East London. Anecdotal evidence from working in front line services in East
London suggests there is a demand for material treating English as an additional
language in some boroughs. This demand varies in individual boroughs and will
vary between boroughs. Anecdotal evidence suggests there is a group whose
needs are not being met fully. It is a group that is likely to grow as globalisation
results in increased economic migration and English albeit with American spelling
is rapidly becoming the global language through satellite broadcasting and the
Internet. Libraries have tended to lag behind education in a lot of performance
and social exclusion issues and the provision of items that deal with English as
an additional language is an example of this. There are however signs that this
is starting to change. The recent parliamentary select committee suggested that
one of the roles of a public library's operational sphere in tackling social
exclusion could be assisting people for whom English is not a first language
through mother tongue provision and by organising reading classes but it failed
to recommend provision of materials to enable people to learn English. In
London and the South East there are now a considerable number of economic
migrants whose first language isn't English. Enabling them to learn English will
assist them in their work and in exercising their employment rights. Regrettably
government policy appears to be to compel people to learn English and charge
them for the privilege. The recent TUC report Forced Labour and migration
shows that large-scale exploitation of migrant workers is occurring. There are
also communities that do not show in the OPCS data such as the recent arrivals
from Eastern Europe whose presence is shown by other indicators such as
dispenser stands for Polish Express as outside Leyton tube station and shops
advertising that they sell Polish food.

Economic migration has been occurring on a large scale particularly in South
East England and will continue with globalisation. There is a strong case for
economic migrants being regarded as a group for whom the library service
provides special services including not only items teaching English as a Second
Language but also on employment and immigration law. It is important that the
library and joining procedures are not perceived as being an extension of the
immigration service as it could be a deterrent. Estimates of the number of illegal
residents vary but the most sources agree that it is over a million. People in this
position are vulnerable to exploitation, some are victims of people traffickers,
some may have entered legally and had their papers confiscated by employers
other are temporary visa overstayers. There are also people who may have legal
residence status but are unsure or unaware of it. These are the people for whom
information and advice is essential.

Regression analysis for London suggests that there are groups that the library is
not serving as well as it could be. This should not however be interpreted that
groups for whom library usage is high should be taken for granted such as the

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

over 60's. As the proportion of over 60's increases, so will their voting power
particularly as they are more likely to vote than younger people. The increased
proportion of over 60's should be reflected in library issues.

Moslems now form the largest non-Christian religious grouping in Britain and it is
worrying if the library service is failing to meet their needs particularly as there
are young Moslems who feel alienated by society. Likewise with the Afro-
Caribbean community and library usage. There may be areas where targeting
may benefit several groups such as improving the service to people for whom
English is an additional language where the demand comes from several ethnic
and religious groupings. Anecdotal evidence suggests a demand for books
dealing with English and Maths at Key Stage 2 particular amongst Afro-
Caribbean parents. There are also several Saturday schools being established to
provide self- help particularly in Maths and English some organised by Afro-
Caribbean organisations. This demand will benefit other groups as well. The
results of Creaser and Sumsion's report suggest that Pateman is correct in
suggesting that class is still an issue (7). There may even be a linkage between
class and groups where there is low library usage in that individual members of
the group may well tend to be in the social classes where library usage is low.
The highest concentrations of Moslems are in East London whereas the Asian
communities in West London tend to be in more affluent boroughs and tend to
be Hindus or Sikhs.

The CIPFA statistics for the London Boroughs as a whole show a considerable
decline over the period between 1996/7 and 2000/1. There are a few exceptions
with increases in Lambeth, Southwark and Newham all of which are relatively
deprived boroughs. Lambeth still had the lowest issues but there was evidence
of improvement (it should be noted that CIPFA performance statistics record
issued per 1000 population and not gross issues) although they are probably not
going to reach the level of suburban areas.

There is a need for more detailed research into which groups are using libraries
and which ones aren't. Regression analysis alone will not be sufficient, as it will
only work for larger groups where percentages vary between boroughs. It is
unlikely to work for relatively dispersed groups such as the Chinese community
or Sikhs, where there is heavy concentration in Ealing and a relatively dispersed
population elsewhere in London. Regression analysis will also only show a
correlation, it will not explain the reason for differing usage patterns. Official
statistics will not necessarily show detailed information about communities as
the categories in census data tends to be broad or, only covers larger groups.
The presence of a specific concentration of Tamil speakers within one ward in
Waltham Forest came to light through anecdotal evidence when an election
agent in a council by-election had targeted them. The agent said they had
deduced the presence by surnames on the electoral roll. In a very close result,
the agent's candidate won. It is conceivable that there will be similarities
between library usage amongst various groupings and educational achievement
results including gender differences within an ethnic group, the data in this
article shows a limited similarity but more research is required.

Andrew Hudson

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

References

1. Creaser, Claire and Sumsion, John Deprivation and Library
Performance: The DoE Index of Local Conditions and Library Usage
in London and the Metropolitan Districts of England LISU 1995

2. Davies, Bryn and Kendrick, Tony "Correlation and Regression: Statistics
for Librarians Part 2" Assistant Librarian 82(10) October 1989 pl50-3

3. Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Indices of Deprivation 2004

4. Davies, Bryn and Kendrick, Tony "Correlation and Regression: Statistics
for Librarians Part 2" Assistant Librarian 82(10) October 1989 pl50-3

5. Creaser, Clair and Sumsion

6. 2001 Census

7. Department of Education and Skills Ethnic Minority Pupils and Pupils
for whom English is an Additional Language 1996/7

8. Creaser, Clair and Sumsion p2

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

Reading Orwell in Havana (1)

John Pateman

"Mr Jones, of the Manor Farm, had locked the hen houses for the night, but was
too drunk to remember to shut the pop holes. With the ring of light from his
lantern dancing from side to side he lurched across the yard, kicked off his boots
at the back door, drew himself a last glass of beer from the barrel in the
scullery, and made his way up to bed, where Mrs Jones was already snoring" (2)

As I sat in the National Library of Cuba reading this opening paragraph of Animal
Farm by George Orwell, I had cause to consider its relevance to the reality of
contemporary Cuba, and the availability of Orwell's works in Cuban libraries.

Animal Farm is probably one of the most well known political novels ever
written. Subtitled, A Fairy Story, it is an allegory about totalitarian regimes. Mr
Jones was the Tsar and Manor Farm was Imperial Russia. But Orwell made it
clear that though Animal Farm was "primarily a satire on the Russian Revolution"
it was intended to have a wider application. It has been suggested that Animal
Farm could also be applied to Cuba. Cabrera Infante, for example, wrote that
"the resemblance of Cuba to Animal Farm is so real that one thinks of its sequel.
Return to the Isle of the Parrots." (3). But there are many people who disagree
with this analysis, including Isaac Saney:

"Cuba is almost invariably portrayed as a totalitarian regime, a veritable 'gulag'
guided and controlled by one man: Fidel Castro. However, this position cannot
be sustained once the reality of Cuba is assessed on its own merits. Extensive
democratic popular participation in decision making is at the centre of the Cuban
model of governance." (4)

This paper is also about assessing the reality of Cuba on its own merits, and not
on the propaganda of its enemies. I was prompted to write this paper by some
comments made by Robert Kent and his so-called "Friends of Cuban Libraries"
(sic). Robert Kent alleges that no works by George Orwell are available in any
library or bookshop in Cuba:

"What totalitarian regime would allow its citizens to read the works of Orwell? In
actual fact, Orwell's classic books are regarded as 'subversive' by the Cuban
regime. One of the 'subversive' book tiles is Orwell's 'Animal Farm'. So much for
the Cuban government's mendacious claim that Orwell's books are available to
the public in Havana's National Library, or anywhere else in Cuba for that
matter. " (5)

What my research shows is that the works of George Orwell are available in
Cuban libraries. I also consider the presence of some other English language
authors in Cuban libraries; and the presence of some Cuban authors in British
libraries. In addition, I look at the position of those Cuban authors who are

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

allegedly banned from Cuban libraries - such as Reinaldo Arenas - and show
that their works are available on the shelves of Cuban libraries.

By way of context I make some general observations about the nature of Cuban
libraries and the network of bookshops selling books at affordable prices. Finally,
I take a closer look at Cuba's so-called "independent libraries" and explore the
true nature of their alleged independence.

Greene, Hemingway and Shakespeare

The first question I asked myself was, is it reasonable to expect to find the
works of George Orwell on the shelves of Cuban libraries? Cuba is a small, poor,
developing country with historical connections to Spain, Africa, Latin America
and the Caribbean. Why, then, should it automatically have the novels of a mid
twentieth century British author in its libraries? When resources are scarce - and
made worse by the illegal US blockade - why should Cuban librarians decide to
select Orwell when they have so many other books to choose and so little money
to spend?

One argument, I am sure, is that George Orwell is a significant modern writer
and the author of some timeless classics such as Animal Farm (1945) and
Nineteen Eighty Four (1949). This alone, it could be argued, would justify his
place in any library in the world. For example, just before Orwell died in 1950
Desmond MacCarthy wrote to him saying "You have made an indelible mark on
English literature...you are among the few memorable writers of your
generation". It was Animal Farm together with Nineteen Eighty Four which
brought Orwell world wide fame. Animal Farm was translated into all the
principal European languages as well as Persian, Telugu, Icelandic, and
Ukranian.

For this argument to be fully legitimate we would have to apply the same
reasoning to all of the other modern English language writers and also expect to
find their classic works in Cuban libraries. We would then have to prove that the
reason why George Orwell does not appear is because of Cuban state
censorship. Let us then look at the presence of some other modern English
language writers in Cuban libraries - Graham Greene and Ernest Hemingway -
and also the presence of that most well known author of English literature,
William Shakespeare.

Graham Greene was born in 1904. On coming down from Balliol College, Oxford,
he worked for four years as sub-editor on The Times. He established his
reputation with his fourth novel, Stamboul Train. In 1935 he made a journey
across Liberia, described in Journey Without Maps, and on his return was
appointed film critic of the Spectator. In 1926 he had been received into the
Roman Catholic Church and visited Mexico in 1938 to report on the religious
persecution there. As a result he wrote The Lawless Roads and, later, his famous
novel The Power and the Glory.

Brighton Rock was published in 1938 and in 1940 he became literary editor of
the Spectator. The next year he undertook work for the Foreign Office and was
stationed in Sierra Leone from 1941 to 1943. This later produced his novel, The
Heart of the Matter, set in West Africa. Other novels include The End of the

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Affair, The Quiet American, Travels With My Aunt, The Honorary Consul and The
Captain and the Enemy.

But the novel which put Graham Greene on the map in Cuba was Our Man in
Havana (1958). Set on the very eve of the Revolution, this darkly comic novel
evokes Havana in the 1950s through the misadventures of a vacuum cleaner
salesman turned reluctant spy. All of the action in this novel takes place in
Havana, including the Hotel Inglaterra where Graham Greene stayed while he
was writing it. This hotel and other scenes in the novel have become part of the
tourist trail. As a result Graham Greene's books can be found in many libraries
and bookshops in Cuba.

Another author who can be found in most Cuban libraries and bookshops is
Ernest Hemingway, who was born in 1899 at Oak Park, a highly respectable
suburb of Chicago, where his father, a keen sportsman, was a doctor. He was
the second of six children. The family spent holidays in a lakeside hunting lodge
in Michigan, near Indian settlements. Although highly energetic and successful in
all school activities, Ernest twice ran away from home before joining the Kansas
City Star as a cub reporter in 1917. Next year he volunteered as an ambulance
driver on the Italian front and was badly wounded. This inspired his novel A
Farewell to Arms (1929).

Returning to America he began to write features for the Toronto Star Weekly in
1919 and was married in 1921. That year he came to Europe as a roving
correspondent and covered several large conferences. In France he came into
contact with Gertrude Stein - later they quarrelled - Ezra Pound, and James
Joyce. He covered the Greco-Turkish war in 1922. Three Stories and Ten Poems
was given a limited publication in Paris in 1923. Thereafter he gradually took to
a life of bull fighting - Death in the Afternoon (1932) - big game hunting, and
deep sea fishing, visiting Spain during the Civil War, which he wrote about in For
Whom the Bell Tolls (1940).

Towards the end of his life Hemingway lived mostly in Cuba. It is possible to
visit his house - the Finca Vigia - on the outskirts of Havana and see his fishing
boat, the Pilar. There is also a bust of him at the fishing village of Cojimar and,
until a few years ago, you could have your photograph taken with his old fishing
companion, Gregorio Fuentes, who died aged 101. In Old Havana you can see
the room which he stayed in at the Ambos Mundos Hotel. The lobby of the hotel
contains a picture gallery of Hemingway and his friends. You can also visit his
favourite bars and drink his favourite Cuban cocktails. At El Floridita, where
there is a life size model of him sitting at the bar, you can try a daiquiri. And at
La Bodeguita del Medio you can taste a mohito.

While sipping your cocktail you could be reading one of several novels which
Hemingway wrote about Cuba, including that most famous of all his works. The
Old Man and the Sea (1952). This tale of a local fisherman's epic struggle won
Hemingway the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. Hemingway donated the prize
to the Virgen de la Caridad del Cobre, Cuba's patron saint. Islands in the Stream
(1970) is based on the author's experiences hunting Nazi submarines during
World War II.

To Have and Have Not (1937) is an exciting account of illegal trade between
Havana and Florida. By Line (1968) includes several journalistic articles and

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despatches from Cuba. All of these works can be found in Cuban libraries and
bookstores.

The final English language author I would like to consider is William
Shakespeare, who needs no introduction. Shakespeare is probably the nearest
figure that Britain has to a national hero. His works have been translated into
many languages, and at any one time his plays are being performed somewhere
around the world. It is not surprising, therefore, that Shakespeare is to be found
in most Cuban libraries and bookshops.

It is easy to understand why Hemingway's books are so evident in Cuban
libraries. He lived in Cuba and there are a number of books written by Cuban
authors about his life and works, among the best of which is Hemingway in Cuba
(1984) by Norberto Fuentes. It is also easy to understand why Graham Green
and William Shakespeare are well represented in Cuban libraries. But what about
the many other modern English language authors who were contemporaries of
George Orwell? Their works are not routinely present in Cuban libraries and book
shops. Does this mean that they have been banned by the Cuban government?
There is no reason why Orwell should be more present in Cuban libraries than
any other modern English language writer. But Orwell is present in Cuban
libraries while many other modern English language authors are not. This is
evidence that there is no deliberate policy on behalf of the Cuban government to
systematically and ideologically ban Orwell from the state run libraries.

Carpentier, Guillen and Marti

Before looking at the presence of Orwell in Cuban libraries in more detail it is
worth, for a moment, to look at the situation "through the other end of the
telescope". If it is reasonable to expect that English language authors should be
present in Cuban libraries, is it not also reasonable to expect that Cuban authors
should be present in British libraries? I put this theory to the test using the
Lincolnshire Public Library Service which I manage in the UK. Lincolnshire
libraries have a vast book collection and a generous purchasing budget which is
far in excess of what Cuban public libraries can afford to spend on books. How,
then, did Lincolnshire compare when I applied the "Orwell test" in reverse? To
make it a fair test I used what are probably the three best well known Cuban
authors, the novelist Alejo Carpentier, the poet Nicolas Guillen, and Cuba's
national hero Jose Marti.

Alejo Carpentier was born in Havana in 1904 and he was one of the founders of
the Cuban Minority Group (Grupo Minorista ) in which artistic, political and
ideological problems were discussed. In 1927 he was imprisoned after signing
the Minority Group's manifesto, which anticipated the uprising of the Cuban
Revolution and is regarded as a preceding document. In 1945, disliking the
political atmosphere in Cuba, he went to Venezuela, where he lived for fourteen
years. Immediately after the Cuban Revolution in 1959 he returned to Havana
and was appointed Vice President of the National Council of Culture and, later.
Professor of the History of Culture at the University of Havana and Minister
Plenipotentiary. In 1962 he became Director of the Cuban State Publishing
House which, within four and a half years, had published nearly seventy million
volumes, which ranged from texts for the Campaign against Illiteracy to avant-
garde literature.

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Alejo Carpentier's novels, which have been translated into twenty two
languages, include Ecue-yamba-0 (1933), El Reino de Este Mundo (1949 - The
Kingdom of This World), Los Pasos Perdidos (1953 - The Lost Steps), El Acoso
(1956 - The Pursuit), and El Siglo de las Luces (1963 - Explosion in the
Cathedral). A history of Cuban music is among his major works, and he has also
written Poemes des Antilles, La Pasion Noire, Blue, and some texts for music and
ballet. In 1958 he published a book of short stories, Guerra de Tempo (The War
of Time) and he also wrote a volume of stories inspired by the transformations
brought about in Cuban society by the Revolution.

There are nine works by Alejo Carpentier in Lincolnshire Libraries: Acoso (1966),
Appa y la sombre (1979), Explosion in a Cathedral, Kingdom of this World
(1975), Reasons of State (1976), Recurso del Metodo (1974), Siglo de las
Luches (1965), The Chase (1990) and War of Time. This is a fair representation
but does not include some of Carpentier's classic works such as The Lost Steps.

It is in this novel that the great Cuban writer develops his theory of Magic
Realism. Not stocking The Lost Steps in Lincolnshire Libraries would be the
equivalent of not stocking Animal Farm by George Orwell in Cuban libraries -
which is not the case because there is a copy of Animal Farm at the National
Library in Havana.

Nicolas Guillen was born in 1902 at Camaguey, which is one of the main centres
of Cuban poetry. Guillen studied in public and religious schools in his native city,
but he was most influenced by his father, a staunch supporter of belles letres,
who had fought in the Cuban liberation army and had been assassinated in the
street in 1917 by his political enemies, at a time when the republic writhed
under the apparent power of liberal and conservative politicians and suffered
repeated interventions. After his father's death Guillen tried his hand at several
printing jobs, wrote articles and chronicles for local magazines and newspapers,
and tried to settle in Havana, where he planned to attend law school. But one
year later, he returned to Camaguey. He was eighteen years old and felt drawn
to the literary trends of the time.

He began his career as a writer with Motivos de Son (1930) which examined the
issues of Blacks in Cuban culture. Next came Songoro cosongo (1931), West
Indies Ltd. (1934), Espana (1937), Cantos para soldados y sones para turistas
(1937), El son entero (1947), La paloma de vuelo popular (1958) and Elegias
(1958). The unyielding liberty that drove his poetry, always surrounded by
hostile circumstances, brought about political persecution and led him to exile.
After 1959, Guillen's works became more jubilant and musical. His long years of
waiting for social improvements were over and his dreams came true. Among
others, his books Tengo (1964), Poemas de amor (1964), El gran zoo (The Great
Zoo - 1967), La rueda dentada (1972), El diario que a diario (1972) and Por el
mar de las Antillas anda un barco de papel (1977), date back to that time.

Guillen was the Revolution's official poet and has been widely translated. Apart
from his political poems, Guillen is best known for his very rhythmical Afro-
Cuban works, which have often been set to music.

There is only one work by Nicolas Guillen in Lincolnshire libraries: El libro de loss
ones (1993). This is very disappointing because Guillen is Cuba's national poet
and the equivalent of Britain's Lord Tennyson, who was born in Lincolnshire. The

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Tennyson Collection is held at Lincoln Central Library. For Lincolnshire Libraries
not to stock Guillen's classic collection of poems, The Great Zoo, would be the
equivalent of Cuban libraries not stocking Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell
- which is not the case because there are three copies of Nineteen Eighty Four
at the National Library in Havana.

Cuba's national hero, Jose Marti, was born to Spanish immigrant parents in
Havana in 1853. While still in high school, Marti became involved in anti-colonial
activities, and in 1869 he published a political tract and the first issue of a
newspaper called La Patria Libre. A war of independence had broken out in
Oriente the previous year, and the Spanish colonial authorities were in no mood
to allow criticism. In October 1869 Marti was arrested on treason charges, and in
April 1870 he was sentenced to six years of hard labour. He was later deported
to Spain where he graduated from law school in 1874. Marti went to Mexico City
and got a job with a newspaper in 1875. He got married in 1877 and obtained a
teaching post in Guatemala.

The First War of Independence ended in 1878 and Marti was able to return to
Cuba under a general amnesty. In 1879 his conspiratorial activities and anti¬
colonial statements at public debates led to his arrest and a second sentence of
exile to Spain. After travelling to France, the US and Venezuela, Marti finally
settled in New York City, where he was to remain until just three and a half
months prior to his death. In New York, Marti served as a correspondent for the
Buenos Aires newspaper La Nacion and the Caracas paper La Opinion Nacional.
His columns describing the North American scene made him well known
throughout Latin America, and he was appointed consul of Uruguay in New York.
In 1892 Marti's relentless advocacy of Cuban independence and his
organisational work in New York and Florida led to his election as chief delegate
of the newly formed Partido Revolucionario Cubano.

On 11 April 1895 Marti, the Dominican general Maximo Gomez, and four others
landed near Baracoa in eastern Cuba to launch the Second War of
Independence. They soon made contact with rebels led by Antonio Maceo, but
on 19 May 1895 Marti was killed during a brief skirmish with the Spanish at Dos
Rios on the Cauto River in today's Granma Province. Deprived of their political
leader, the Cubans fought on under the military leadership of Maceo and Gomez,
only to have imminent victory snatched from them by US intervention three
years later.

In his own time Marti was best known for essays that set out his vision of a
secular republic and warned of the threat to Cuba from sporadic US imperialism
(the US had annexed half of Mexico less than four decades earlier). Although
history was to confirm his worst fears in this regard, it is Marti's poetry that is
most appreciated today. In literary circles, Marti is regarded as one of the
initiators of the school of modernism in Latin American poetry. Decades after his
death, lines from Marti's Versos Sencillos (1891) were incorporated into the best
known Cuban song of all time, Guajira guantanamera.

Anyone hoping to understand Cuba needs some knowledge of Marti's poems,
essays and letters. Marti wrote prolifically and his works are collected in over 30
volumes, most of which have been translated into English. It is all the more
shocking and surprising to find, therefore, that there are no works at all by Jose

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Marti in Lincolnshire libraries. This is the equivalent of discovering that there are
no works by William Shakespeare in Cuban libraries, which is definitely not the
case

What conclusions can we draw from this test? In the same way that many
English language writers do not appear in Cuban libraries (with the notable
exceptions of Graham Greene, Ernest Hemingway and George Orwell), so many
Cuban authors (including classics by the national hero Jose Marti) do not appear
in British public libraries. But just because they are not in the library does not
mean that they have been banned. The reason why these books are not on the
shelves has more to do with book budgets, stock selection policies and the needs
of library users, rather than state censorship. I will now consider the specific
case of George Orwell and his place in Cuban libraries.

George Orwell

Eric Arthur Blair (George Orwell) was born in 1903 in India, where his father
worked for the Civil Service. The family moved to England in 1907 and in 1917
Orwell entered Eton, where he contributed regularly to the various college
magazines. From 1922 to 1927 he served with the Imperial Police in Burma, an
experience that inspired his first novel, Burmese Days (1934). Several years of
poverty followed. He lived in Paris for two years before returning to England,
where he worked successively as a private tutor, school teacher and book shop
assistant, and contributed reviews and articles to a number of periodicals. Down
and Out in Paris and London was published in 1933.

In 1936 he was commissioned by Victor Gollancz to visit areas of mass
unemployment in Lancashire and Yorkshire, and The Road to Wigan Pier (1937)
is a powerful description of the poverty he saw there. At the end of 1936 Orwell
went to Spain to fight for the Republicans and was wounded. Homage to
Catalonia is his account of the Civil War. He was admitted to a sanatorium in
1938 and from then on was never fully fit. He spent six months in Morocco and
there wrote Coming Up for Air. During the Second World War he served in the
Home Guard and worked for the BBC Eastern Service from 1941 to 1943. As
literary editor of Tribune he contributed a regular page of political and literary
commentary, and he also wrote for the Observer and later the Manchester
Evening News.

His unique political allegory, Animal Farm, was published in 1945, and it was this
novel, together with Nineteen Eighty Four (1949), which brought him world wide
fame. It is these two political novels in particular, with their subject matter of
totalitarian regimes, that are at the heart of the debate about Orwell's presence
in Cuban libraries. On one side of the debate we have Robert Kent, "The Friends
of Cuban Libraries" and their supporters. On the other side of the debate we
have Eliades Acosta, former Director of the Cuban National Library, ASCUBI (The
Cuban Library Association) and their supporters.

The purpose of my visit to Cuba in October 2005 was to examine both sides of
this debate and to look for evidence that the works of George Orwell can be
found on the shelves of Cuban libraries. My first port of call was the National
Library of Cuba, Biblioteca Nacional de Cuba "Jose Marti". Built in 1957 the
library has pride of place in the Plaza de La Revolucion, where all the major

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national ceremonies are held, including May Day (1 May) and Moncada Day (26
July). Havana's main library occupies 16 floors and contains over 4 million
books. Books in the circulating collection can be borrowed. Any one can use the
library as long as they produce a satisfactory form of identification, such as an
I.D. Card, which is issued to all Cuban citizens. It is much easier for an ordinary
Cuban citizen (rather than a researcher, academic or journalist) to access the
Cuban National Library, than it is for an ordinary British citizen to access the
British Library (where bone fide credentials are required).

Having deposited my bag at the cloakroom and given my passport as proof of
identity I was able to move around the library and visit its various sections. I
made straight for the literature section and consulted the card catalogue which
any library user can utilise. I quickly located the catalogue cards relating to
George Orwell and found that fifteen of his works were available in The National
Library: Animal Farm, Shooting an Elephant, Critical Essays (two copies),
Nineteen Eighty Four (three copies), A Clergyman's Daughter, A Collection of
Essays, Coming Up for Air (two copies), hiomage to Catalonia, Keep the
Aspidrastra Flying, The Road to Wigan Pier, and La Marca.

The fact that I could so easily find fifteen works by George Orwell in the National
Library within ten minutes of entering the building immediately contradicted the
allegation by Robert Kent that:

"What totalitarian regime would allow its citizens to read the works of Orwell? In
actual fact, Orwell's classic books are regarded as 'subversive' by the Cuban
regime. One of the 'subversive' book tiles is Orwell's 'Animal Farm'. So much for
the Cuban government's mendacious claim that Orwell's books are available to
the public in Havana's National Library, or anywhere else in Cuba for that
matter."

Finding Orwell's books in a card catalogue is one thing - seeing the actual book
is another. The Cuban National Library, like the British Library, has a closed
access policy. If you want to look at a book you have to call it up by filling in a
request card. Like any other Cuban library user, I filled in some request cards
and gave them to the staff at the enquiry desk. From the fifteen available titles I
chose four at random - Animal Farm, Shooting an Elephant, Critical Essays, and
Nineteen Eighty Four. All four books arrived about twenty minutes later. They
were all in fair condition but showed signs of considerable usage. Animal Farm,
in particular, was in a somewhat battered state and the front cover was loose.
The books had date stamps indicating that they had been borrowed from the
library.

And so I settled down in the National Library of Cuba to read the opening
paragraph of Animal Farm by George Orwell, a book that was allegedly banned
in Cuba. So much for Robert Kent's mendacious claim that Orwell's books are
denied to the public in Havana's National Library, or anywhere else in Cuba for
that matter. I was also able to disprove another allegation made by Robert Kent
that:

"Cuban citizens are routinely denied access to books which criticise the regime.
Access to forbidden books, kept locked away in special closed areas of the

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official libraries, is restricted to a few 'trustworthy' readers such as reporters for
the government run press." (6)

I had proven that there are no "forbidden books kept locked away in special
closed areas of the official libraries". I had arrived at the library unannounced
and had joined the library in the same way as any other Cuban library user.
There are no books "restricted to a few 'trustworthy' readers such as reporters
for the government run press". The Orwell books I requested were in a public
access card catalogue and I was able to call them up using the same request
system as any other Cuban library user.

There are 19 references to George Orwell on the National Library website, which
can be found at www.bnjm.cu . In comparison, there are 6 references to Graham
Greene and 33 references to Ernest Hemingway. One of the Orwell references
includes the following quote: "If liberty means anything at all, it means the right
to tell people what they do not want to hear."(George Orwell, 1945). Robert
Kent and the "Friends of Cuban Libraries" do not want to hear the truth which is
that George Orwell can be found in Cuban libraries.

The Biblioteca Nacional "Jose Marti" is not the only library in Havana which has
books by George Orwell. I also found his works at the Biblioteca "Fernandez
Ortiz" which was founded in 1793. This library, which forms part of the Instituto
de Literatura y Linguistica (Institute of Literature and Linguistics), is probably
the best source of novels and non-Spanish texts in Havana. As with the National
Library, I arrived unannounced and was able to use the library on production of
a suitable form of ID, in my case a passport. Other library patrons were using
their Cuban ID cards. I deposited my bag and headed for the card catalogue.

This contained two books by George Orwell: Down and Out in London and Paris
and Nineteen Eighty Four. As at the National Library, the Biblioteca "Fernandez
Ortiz" (in common with many UK academic libraries) has a closed access system,
and I had to call up the two Orwell books by filling in request cards. They arrived
very quickly and, as before, they showed signs of heavy usage.

And so I sat down at the Biblioteca "Fernandez Ortiz" and read the opening
paragraph of Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell, a book which Robert Kent
and "The Friends of Cuban Libraries" say does not exist in Cuba. I think that
Robert Kent probably associates himself with Winston Smith, the main character
in Nineteen Eighty Four, who has no heroic qualities, only a wistful longing for
truth and decency. In reality, the press releases regularly issued by Robert Kent
could have come straight from Orwell's 'Thought Police', who operate on the
principle that if you say something over and over again it must become the
truth. Robert Kent also uses a technique similar to Orwell's 'Newspeak' which
progressively narrows the range of ideas and independent thought.

I was very quickly and easily able to establish that George Orwell's works are
alive and well and living in Cuban libraries. Any Cuban citizen can access these
libraries, Orwell's books appear in public access card catalogues, and they can
be called up using the standard request system. It is just as easy for a citizen of
Havana to access George Orwell via the state library system as it is for a
resident of Lincolnshire to obtain one of his books through the public library
service. There are 82 works by George Orwell in Lincolnshire Libraries, which is

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what you would expect given that he is a major British author. He has been
described as

"One of the most influential English writers of the twentieth century" (Robert
McCrum, Observer )

"Matchlessly sharp and fresh...The clearest and most compelling English prose
style this century" (John Carey, Sunday Times )

"The finest English essayist of his century...His work endures, as lucid and
vigorous as the day it was written" (Paul Gray, Time )

Given his importance as a writer it is reassuring to know that the Cuban people
have access to his works so that they can read what he actually wrote, rather
than just read about other people's opinions of what he wrote and what this
might mean for Cuba. George Orwell died nine years before the Cuban
Revolution so we will never know what he thought about the changes bought
about in Cuban society in 1959. A symposium on Cuba attended by George
Orwell, Graham Greene and Ernest Hemingway would have engendered some
very lively debate I am sure! George Orwell would have been pleased to know
that his books are in Cuban libraries and he would have opposed the way in
which Robert Kent and others have used his name and works for their own
political ends. The most important fact is that George Orwell is not banned in
Cuba and I will now turn my attention to some other authors who Robert Kent
claims are also "censured" in Cuba.

Arenas, Infante and Manach

One of the most celebrated contemporary Cuban authors in recent years is
Reinaldo Arenas, who was born in Holguin in 1943 into a poor, rural Cuban
family. At the age of fifteen he joined Castro's guerrillas against Batista's right
wing regime. After the triumph of the Revolution in 1959 he moved to Havana
where he worked for INRA, the National Institute for Agrarian Reform. In 1963
he started working at the National Library, where he wrote his first novel Singing
from the Well. In 1965 he received an award for this novel from the Cuban
Writers and Artists Union (UNEAC). In 1966 he received another award from
UNEAC for his second novel, The III Fated Peregrinations of Fray Servando
(which was published in the U.S. under the title Hallucinations ). He was also the
author of The Palace of the White Skunks, Farewell to the Sea, Old Rosa: A
Novel in Two Stories, El Central: a Cuban Sugar Mill, Graveyard of the Angels
and The Doorman as well as collections of short stories, essays, experimental
theatre pieces, and poetry.

Arenas left Cuba during the Mariel exodus in 1980. But America could never
replace his beloved Cuba, and his anti-Castro stance made him unsympathetic to
many American intellectuals. The final irony was his battle with AIDs, which
dominated the last years of his life until he committed suicide in New York on 7
December 1990, at the age of 47. His autobiography Antes que anochezca
(Before Night Falls) was begun before Arenas left Cuba and was completed in
the last stage of the disease.

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There are 14 references to Arenas on the National Library website and I found
three books by Reinaldo Arenas in the public access catalogue of the Biblioteca
"Fernandez Ortiz": Celestino antes del Alba, Orestes de Noche, Libro de las
Exhortations Alamar. I called up all three books, using the standard request
system, and received them within about ten minutes. That is how easy it is for
any Cuban citizen to obtain the works of Reinaldo Arenas, an author who is
allegedly banned in Cuba. In the same way that Arenas is not banned in Cuba,
neither is homosexuality. According to Joseph Mutti, the situation for gays and
lesbians has improved as the Cuban Revolution has progressed:

"The release of the anti-Castro, and arguably misleading, film 'Before Night Falls'
- about the life of gay Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas - refuelled discussion about
Cuba's treatment of homosexuals. Cuba is now probably the most easy going of
all Latin American and Caribbean countries in terms of its acceptance of gay
culture and lifestyle" (7)

Reinaldo Arenas himself also admitted, in Before Night Falls, that gay men had
considerable freedom in Cuba:

"In Cuba gays were not confined to a specific area of a club or beach. Everybody
mingled and there was no division that would place the homosexual on the
defensive. This has been lost on more advanced societies, where the
homosexual has had to become a sort of sexual recluse and separate himself
from the supposedly non-homosexual society, which undoubtedly also excludes
him" (8)

When Arenas arrived in Florida he found that there was less tolerance towards
the gay community than there had been in Cuba. For more information about
Cuba and Homosexuality see Machos, Maricones and Gays by Ian Lumsden. It is
interesting to note that, among the acknowledgements to those who helped him
to research this book, the first people that Lumsden would like to thank are "the
staff at the Jose Marti National Library." Lumsden concludes by saying that:

"There is no reason to believe that homosexuals any more than women or blacks
would in most respects benefit from the overthrow of the revolution, which with
all its defects may yet be recognised as having done more for their ultimate
liberation than any previous Cuban regime ." (9)

There are four works by Reinaldo Arenas in Lincolnshire Libraries: Before Night
Falls (1993), Cantando En El Pozo, Lazarillo de Tormes (1984) and Palacio de las
Blanguisimas Mofetas (1980).

Another Cuban author who is allegedly banned in Cuba is Guillermo Cabrera
Infante, He grew up in Cuba under the dictator Batista and knew Che Guevara
and Fidel Castro personally. Infante left Cuba in October 1965 and lived in exile
in England for the rest of his life. He wrote novels, stories, critical essays,
articles and screenplays, and lectured at Universities from Cambridge to
Chicago. He was the author of Infante's Inferno, Holy Smoke, View of Dawn in
the Tropics, Writes of Passage and a collection of film criticism, A Twentieth
Century Job. One of his best known works is Tres Tristes Tigres (Three Trapped
Tigers ), a sharply comic novel of pre-Revolutionary Havana in which the
hedonistic city itself is a protagonist.

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Infante also wrote Mea Cuba, a political autobiography and personalised account
of the literary / political scene during the early years of the Revolution. This
collection of essays and memoirs span the entire period of Infante's writing
career, from 1968 ( Perversions of History) to 1993 ( The Bird of Paradise Lost).
There are 27 references to Infante on the National Library website. One of these
references is an article by Rhonda L. Neugebauer in which she interviews Eliades
Acosta, the former Director of the National Library. Acosta explained that there
are no banned books in Cuba and that the National Library buys a diverse and
inclusive range of stock:

"This diversity and inclusion is easily verifiable—by looking in the library catalogs
and perusing the shelves, which we did in all the libraries we visited. We located
books on human rights (including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights),
intellectual freedom, democracy and capitalism. And, some librarians were
shown circulation records for books written by dissenters, defectors, and Miami-
" exiles", including Reinaldo Arenas and Cabrera Infante, although some volumes
are not allowed to circulate outside the library due to fear of being stolen or
damaged. In a later interview with a U.S. newspaper reporter, Acosta reiterated
the main problems for libraries in Cuba; "There are no banned books, only those
we don't have the money to buy. The biggest problem we have is lack of
resources. With such scarcity, hard choices have to be made as to which books
to buy. Similar choices are made in every country. We don't buy racist,
xenophobic, anti-Semitic literature although important books such as Hitler's
Mein Kampf are held in the national library." (10)

There is a reference in Mea Cuba to the Casa de las Americas, when someone
points out to Infante that his books are "in the library of the Casa de las
Americas". Infante responds that in order for people to access these books the
person requesting them must "take responsibility with his name, address,
occupation and reason for reading them". This is presented as something sinister
when, as any user of any reference, academic or research library will tell you, it
is common practice to request details of library users such as name, address,
occupation and reason for wanting to access the collection. These questions
were asked of me when I visited the research library of the Casa de las
Americas, the Biblioteca "Jose Antonio Echevaria". There are also two bookshops
at the Casa de Las Americas - a bookshop selling general literature and poetry
books, and Libreria Rayuela, selling art books, international literature, videos of
Cuban films and CDs. Casa de las Americas is also a publishing house and has a
research library, The Casa's collection of over 6,000 works of art are displayed in
four galleries. Lincolnshire libraries have only one book by Infante: Writes of
Passage (1993).

Jorge Manach is also supposed to be a banned author in Cuba but I found seven
of his works at the National Library: Marti el Apostal (two copies), Jose Marti
Torro II, Pasado Vigente, El Espiritu de Marti, El Persamiento Politico y Social de
Marti, and Significacion del Centenario Martoano. There are 24 references to
Manach on the National Library website, including the following:

"The National Library has 8920 magazine titles, yearbooks, newspapers, Cuban
monographs in series, and a representative collection of foreign series. Among
the most important materials are: 'Revista Avance' (Advance Magazine)

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containing works by Jorge Mahach, Juan Marinello, Jose Sacarias Tallet; Agustin
Acosta, Regino Botti, Manuel Navarro Luna, Fernando Ortiz and other authors of
outstanding advanced thought from the critical decade during the life of the
publication (1927-1930)"

I also found nine books by Manach at the public library Biblioteca "Ruben
Martinez Villena". Once again, I just arrived at this library, checked in my bag,
and joined by using my passport as ID. I was able to consult a public access
card catalogue and call up the books I wanted to see by using the standard
request card system.

The Biblioteca "Ruben Martinez Villena" is in Old Havana and is open from
8.15am - 7.45pm Monday to Friday and 8.15am to 4.15 pm on Saturday. This
amounts to 65.5 hours of public access per week, which is far in excess of many
UK public libraries. Long opening hours are one feature of the socially inclusive
nature of Cuba's public libraries. This library has recently been renovated and
now has multimedia facilities, making it easily Cuba's most modern library.

When discussing the issue of "banned" books with key figures of the Cuban
Writers and Artists Union (UNEAC), it was indicated that for copyright reasons
Infante, Manach and Arenas did not want their works published in Cuba. UNEAC
is housed in a beautiful converted mansion with leafy grounds. UNEAC has a
research library and the book store is the city's best source for magazines and
periodicals on Cuban literature, art and music. UNEAC also has the Cafe Huron
Azul and the patio area is a meeting place for writers and artists, and a popular
venue for bands and soloists. There are no books by Jorge Manach in
Lincolnshire libraries.

The final Cuban author that I would like to consider in this section is Pedro Juan
Gutierrez. His novels give a very gritty street level view of the current realities
facing Cuban society. His works can in no way be described as being supportive
of the Cuban government. His characters live in the twilight world of Cuba's
"parallel economy". Dirty Havana Trilogy (2002) contains a series of interlinked
stories from Havana's underground. Strong, unforgiving language makes it a
powerful read. Gutierrez began his working life at the age of eleven as an ice
cream vendor and newsboy. The author of several published works of poetry,
he lives in Havana. The fact that he has not fled the country is probably the
reason why the "Friends of Cuban Libraries" have not added him to their list of
"banned" authors. Lincolnshire libraries have three works by Gutierrez: Dirty
Havana Trilogy (2001), Tropical Animal (2003) and Insatiable Spider Man
(2005).

It is interesting to note that the works of these "banned" Cuban authors are not
widely present in British libraries, if Lincolnshire is anything to go by. Despite the
worldwide "celebrity" of authors like Cabrera Infante (who lived in England as an
"exile") his most "famous" work, Mea Cuba, cannot be found in Lincolnshire
libraries. This does not mean that they have been banned or that there has been
a deliberate attempt not to purchase them. It just means that they are not in
demand and have not been requested by the users of Lincolnshire libraries.
Having established that there are no banned authors in Cuba and that it is easy
for Cuban citizens to access the many libraries which exist in Cuba, I would now

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like to give some more general information about the development of libraries
and bookshops in Cuba since 1959.

Libraries and Bookshops

Cuba has an excellent state run public library system and a large network of
book shops selling books at affordable prices. Even the smallest town has both a
library (biblioteca) and a bookshop (libreria). Before the Revolution in 1959 Cuba
had very few libraries and those which did exist were in the cities and their use
was restricted to the wealthy and powerful. There were also very few bookshops
and the price of books was well beyond the reach of the average Cuban. As
Silvia Martinez Puentes has said, "the Cuban Book appears with the Revolution":

"Establishing a Cuban publishing house system was a challenge for the
Revolution. Before, the publishing of books in Cuba was very limited. A few
months after the triumph of the Revolution, in March 1959, Fidel Castro
inaugurated the first press with the first book edited by the Revolution: ' El
ingenioso hidalgo don Quijote de la Mancha' (Don Quixote), by Miguel de
Cervantes y Saavedra with an edition of 100,000 copies that was sold for 25
cents" (11)

In March 1959 the Imprenta Nacional de Cuba (Cuban National Press) was
created followed by the Editorial Nacional de Cuba (Cuban National Publishing
House) directed by Alejo Carpentier. Five years later this became the Instituto
Cubano del Libro (Cuban Book Institute - ICL). Cuban books and publishing
houses such as Arte y Literatura, Ciencas Sociales, Letras Cubanas, Cientifico-
Tecnica, Jose Marti, Gente Nueva and Oriente have played an important role in
education, the formation of a universal culture and the defence of national
identity.

Since 1959 over one billion books have been printed in Cuba, excluding school
text books. Over the last ten years (during the Special Period which followed the
collapse of the Soviet Union) the printing of books was affected due to the lack
of resources. In 2001 over nineteen million books were printed in Cuba, an
increase of nine million in relation to 2000, but nowhere near the fifty million
copies pa which were produced before 1990. This problem should be overcome
by a new modern printing works named after Alejo Carpentier.

As part of the Cuban government's aim to increase the people's access to books,
the Biblioteca Familiar (Family Library) scheme was established. The Family
Library is a collection of twenty five titles by well known national and
international writers that is sold to the population at a very affordable price.
Cubans can also access books at the Havana International Book Fair which takes
place each February. The Book Fair travels to over thirty locations in Cuba, is
visited by over three million people and sells more than five million books.

Parallel to these developments in publishing there has been the creation of
public libraries, newspaper libraries, galleries and museums. In 1963 Cuba had
just twenty seven public libraries serving a population of eight million people. By
1980 the number of public libraries had increased to 196, and today Cuba has
364 libraries for a population of eleven million people. The use of Cuban public
libraries has increased from 5.4 million people in 1996 to over eight million in

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2003. This means that Cuban libraries are used by 72% of the population,
compared with just 60% in the UK.

I visited the public library Biblioteca "Enrique Jose Varona" in Marianao, a
working class municipality in the suburbs of Havana. Having checked in my bag I
joined by simply providing my passport as a form of ID. Cuban public libraries
operate an open access system, which means that library users are free to
browse among the books on the open shelves. The ground floor included a good
selection of adult fiction, including sections on literature from other parts of Latin
America and Europe. There were also sections for children and young people,
and an auditorium where extension activities such as book readings, story times
and other events were held. Upstairs there was the adult non fiction (with a
heavy emphasis on science and technology) and the reference collection. The
library was very well staffed, which is another feature of Cuban public libraries.

Also of interest in Mariano is the immense Ciudad Escolar Libertad educational
complex, established on the site of the old Columbia Military Camp, which
Fulgencia Batista flew out of in a tremendous hurry in the early hours of 1
January 1959. Located among the schools on the site is the Museo Nacional de
Alfabetizacion, created in homage to participants in the massive 1961 literacy
campaign. Exhibits include photos, documents, film footage, personal belongings
and letters, which form a testimony of the most successful literacy campaign in
history. Over 100,000 people of all ages, one only seven years old, joined
brigades formed to eliminate illiteracy in the period between January and
December 1961. These days, Cuba's literacy rate is estimated at 96%, the
highest in Latin America.

Cuba's high literacy rate is partly sustained by the large network of bookshops
selling books at affordable prices. Bookshops exist in every city and town in
Cuba, but Havana, being the capital city, is particularly well supplied. The
Instituto Cubano del Libro (Cuban Book Institute) has two bookshops. One
stocks a wide range of non fiction and modern fiction, while the other (La Bella
Havana) covers the tourist market. The Libreria la Internacional offers a fairly
wide range of fiction and non fiction books, mainly in Spanish.

Cuban and international literature fills the shelves at the Libreria "Ruben
Martinez Villena". Well known authors such as Isabel Allende and Alejo
Carpentier are included among the fiction. There are also some cultural journals.
La Moderna Poesia is a spacious book shop which specialises in Cuban editions of
fiction and non fiction, posters, pens, paints, music, videos and items for
children. There are some non Spanish books on politics, Cuban short stories and
erotica. The Libreria Atereo Cervantes sells children's books, international
literature and Cuban poetry, as well as postcards and posters.

Other bookshops in Havana include: Centro Cultural Literario Habana, Abel
Santamaria, Bella Habana, Centenario del Apostol, Fayad Jamis, Fernando Ortiz,
Grijalbo Mondadori, Luis Rogelio Nogueras and Jicotencal. Havana also has a
book market which is held in the Plaza de Armas. This Mercado de libros has
numerous political tracts, books on Che Guevara and the Cuban Revolution,
original Gabriel Garcia Marquez novels, plus atlases, encyclopedias and the odd
book in English. You can also find some wonderful nineteenth century illustrated
books and some great bindings.

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So, if Cuba has such a good state library system, why does it also have
"independent libraries" as well? The answer to this question will be considered
next.

"Independent" Libraries

In the same way that Cuba has "independent journalists" and "independent
trade unions" it also has "independent libraries". They are all the offspring of the
same mother - the US Torricelli Act which both tightened the blockade and
fomented support for "dissident groups" in Cuba, including the "independent
libraries". In reality these "independent libraries" are neither "independent" nor
"libraries". They are wholly dependent for their funding, support and direction on
the U.S. Interests Section (USIS) in Havana. The "directors" of these libraries
are not "directors" but full time paid "dissidents". Felipe Perez Roque explains
how so-called "dissident groups", including "independent libraries" are formed in
Cuba:

"The so-called 'political parties' in Cuba are established through decisions made
abroad, decisions made by the government of the United States. They do not
come about through an autonomous process, in response to the needs of the
Cuban people. And thus we see parties and associations and abbreviations
sprouting like mushrooms, then gradually disappearing. Time and again we
encounter the words: 'They're all in Miami now', 'They've gone to Miami',

'They're in the United States now'. Sometimes the entire leadership, or every
last member of the group. Of course, that was often their real goal; a visa to
emigrate to the United States." (12)

The other key words are money, greed, ambition and lack of ethics. Felipe Perez
Roque is clear where the money comes from:

"First it is made clear that decisions about the groups are made by outside
forces. It is the U.S. Interests Section that decides when a member of one group
should switch to another, when a group with three members should join with a
group with four members to form a federation, when these two groups should
link up with a couple from another band and create an alliance. It's all invented,
made up, fake. It would almost make you laugh, if it weren't for the fact that a
nation's right to its very existence is at stake, if it weren't for the fact this whole
phony apparatus assembled from abroad is used to attack the Revolution and
justify the blockade against the Cuban people." (13)

The "independent libraries" are agents in a much deeper struggle than that
between "dissidents" and the Cuban government. What is exposed is the real
struggle of a people, a nation, defending its right to self determination, in the
face of an imperial policy, a centuries old attempt to enslave it and subjugate it
to the designs of a superpower. What is at stake is whether or not Cuba can be
an independent country, and whether or not it can win the war being waged
against it to take away its independence. The definition of an organisation
subject to foreign control is:

”... if it solicits or accepts financial contributions, loans, or support of any kind,
directly or indirectly, from, or is affiliated directly or indirectly with, a foreign

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government or a political subdivision thereof, or an agent, agency or
instrumentality of a foreign government." (14)

This definition does not come from Cuban law but from the Penal Code of the
United States. The Penal Code of 2001 also states that:

"Whoever knowingly or willingly advocates, abets, advises, or teaches the duty,
necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying the
government of the United States; or whoever, with intent to cause the
overthrow or destruction of any such government, prints, publishes, edits,
issues, circulates, sells, distributes, or publicly displays any written or printed
matter advocating, advising, or teaching the duty, necessity, desirability, or
propriety of overthrowing or destroying any government in the United States" is
guilty of a crime. "(15)

This US Law is more restrictive than Cuban law and the "independent libraries"
have broken this law. Supported, funded and directed by the U.S. Interests
Section in Havana, these "independent libraries" have printed, published, edited,
issued, circulated, sold and distributed literature which advocates, advises and
teaches the duty, necessity, desirability and propriety of overthrowing or
destroying the Cuban government. As Felipe Perez Roque has said:

"It is sickening to read the testimonies of those who attempt to create
'independent libraries' in the only country in the world where the people have
the right to buy books at an accessible price, when everyone knows that books
are a luxury of the rich in the rest of the world.” (16)

Let us, then, hear some of these testimonies, given by the twelve State Security
agents who lived for years in the rank and file of the so called "opposition",
"internal dissidence movement", or "independent journalists and librarians".

Otuardo Hernandez Rodriguez became Agent Yanier in March 2001. He joined
the Cuban Human Rights Foundation of Camaguey and he was given a copy of
the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a number of pamphlets:

"They told me what 'Cubanet' was and showed me an 'independent library'. By
August I was already the 'democratically' elected president. When the 20 de
Mayo 'independent library' was inaugurated in Sancti Spiritus, each of us had to
donate a book. Nine of us showed up at the house of the owner of the alleged
'independent library'. Bias Giraido Reyes Rodriguez, but it had already been
inaugurated and it had been something of a disaster, because no one had shown
up and there were hardly any books there. To top things off, we'd arrived late,
but, nevertheless, I made a statement, and we sang the national anthem with all
of the doors and windows open. In the middle of this, an old lady walked by and
yelled at the neighbour: 'Look at how drunk those people are, and it's so early in
the morning!"' (17)

From the time of its creation in 1996, Cubanet has been a web site devoted to
publishing the "articles" created by the "independent journalists", addressing the
purported violation of human rights in Cuba. From the start, it has received
federal funding from the U.S. government through the National Endowment for
Democracy (NED). Otuardo became involved with the "independent libraries

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project". He set a 'library' up in his own home, which he called the 'Father Felix
Varela Independent Library', and he went to the U.S. Interests Section to have it
registered:

"The person that talked me into founding the 'library' was Giseia Delgado, whom
I met in Havana. She gave us some books, declarations of human rights, and
she started to sweet talk us into thinking that we were going to get money,
medicine, fax machines, computers, radios. At the time, the administration of
the 'libraries project' had undergone a division, one part was in Las Tunas and
the other part in Havana. Ramon Colas was in charge in Las Tunas, and Giseia
was in charge in Havana. Both called themselves 'library directors'." (18)

Ramon Colas founded and became director of the "independent libraries" project
in Cuba. He emigrated to the United States in 2001. On arrival he was taken in
by the Cuban Democratic Directorate, and later went on to become a member of
the Cuban American National Foundation. From the time of his arrival in the
United States, he has approached government officials in search of funding for
the "independent libraries" in Cuba, campaigns which have been very successful.
He also campaigned for the "independent libraries" at the Committee on Human
Rights in Geneva in April 2002 and he sought recognition for his project within
the United Nations.

Otuardo went to the U.S. Interests Section in Havana with Mario Mayo, an
"independent journalist", where he was given books, blank sheets of paper,
envelopes and summaries of news published in the Miami Herald. The books he
was given included:

"Sketches of the United States, its government, its economy, speeches made by
Bush, the sort of book no one was going to bother reading, but we had to take
them if we wanted to receive other things as well, such as westerns, dictionaries
and children's books. We received instructions about the 'independent libraries'
at the U.S. Interests Section. They handed me a list of all the 'libraries' in the
country, which was a joke. Mario Mayo himself realised this, because Omar Dario
showed up on the list. He told me, 'Omar only has four books, and he doesn't
lend them out.' Mario told me how Omar Dario would try to get books from the
Interests Section which he could sell. Later on Omar accused Mario of stealing a
bunch of English-Spanish dictionaries in order to sell them.

They would hand out one dictionary per library. But there were times when they
would let you go into the storage room to choose the books yourself. I didn't get
that chance. Nevertheless, I had gotten instructions from Mario about what to
do. He told me, 'If they let you into the storage room, look for a box and put all
the books that interest you inside it. Then, place all of the other books on top of
those, the ones about the United States and human rights, which are the ones
the U.S. Interests Section wants us to read in Cuba.' He even told me not to
worry about the dictionaries, because they were made with very light paper. A
car from the U.S. Interests Section paid me a visit in Camaguey on three
occasions and left me shipments of books." (19)

Pedro Serrano Urra became Agent Saul in 1999. At a meeting with James Cason
he talked to Pedro about the "independent libraries" and some "independent"
publications were distributed by the U.S. Interests Section. The "independent

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libraries" were sent books, journals and money on a regular basis. For example:
on 12 March 2002, thirty dollars was delivered to Ivan Hernandez, "Coordinator
for the Province of Matanzas, as aid for the Independent Libraries Project in
Cuba"; on 13 March 2002, thirty dollars was delivered to Julia Cecelia Delgado,
"as aid for the Independent Libraries Project in Cuba"; and on 1 August 2002,
one hundred and sixty dollars was sent to Enrique Blanco for the "bibliotecas
independientes de Cuba".

Yamila Perez Reyes and Noel Ascanio became Agents Celia and Abel in 1992.
Yamila became a provincial delegate for the Latin American Federation of Rural
Women and secretary of the Francisco Riveron Hernandez "Independent
Library".

In March 2002 Noel was one of the signatories to a letter which was sent to the
Director of the National Library, Eliades Acosta, who published an article in
Juventud Rebelde about the "independent libraries":

"The only library that was operating in the Guines Municipality at the time was
the one in my house. That library was equipped, from the beginning, with what
the U.S. Interests Section gave us. We would pick up books there and they
would send us others. They would bring all sorts of things, from 'Disidente' and
'Hispano-Cubana' magazines to samples of universal literature." (20)

Noel was invited to a meeting at the U.S. Interests Section, where he was
received by Maryann McKay, who was responsible for the press and culture:

"She asked about our 'independent library' and its activities, its public
acceptance and its plans for the future. She asked about the people of Guines
and their reading habits. She also gave us books, pamphlets and magazines.
There were nearly 40 publications. It was too much for us." (21)

Odilia Collazo Valdes became Agent Tania and was invited to a meeting at the
U.S. Interests Section by James Cason. Everyone who attended the meeting was
given a bag which contained radios, flashlights, literature, battery chargers, the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights in huge batches, speeches by U.S.
politicians, pronouncements by Bush and magazines.

A constant thread which runs through these testimonies is the active role played
by James Cason and the U.S. Interests Section in their funding, support and
direction of the "independent libraries". James Cason took up his post on 10
September 2002 and on 16 September he had his initial meeting with members
of the "Independent Libraries Project". At another meeting at the U.S. Interests
Section on 17 September "the participants spoke about Radio Marti and the
'independent' libraries and press."

On 19 October James Cason visited the province of Cienfuegos and went to the
"independent library" in the home of Arturo Hernandez. Their conversation
focused on the "independent libraries", the rental of houses, entertainment for
young people, the food situation on the island, and the people's reaction to these
difficulties.

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On 2 November James Cason travelled to Matanzas and handed over four boxes
of books, to furnish the "independent" libraries of Ivan Hernandez in the Colon
Municipality, Miguel Sigler Amaya in Pedro Betancourt, and Andres Gobea Suarez
at Central 6 de Agosto, in Calimete.

On 11 November James Cason held a meeting at his home. At the end of the
meeting the Cubans in attendance were presented with short wave radios and a
number of books. They were told that they could take any books they wished
from a bookcase set up for this purpose.

On 21 November another meeting was held at the home of James Cason. The
participants were given four boxes containing copies of the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights.

On 22 November another meting was held at Cason's home. Those present were
given a number of books and newspapers published abroad.

On 26 November James Cason went back to Camaguey and left four boxes of
books, pamphlets and newspapers.

On 19 December a "social" gathering was held at the U.S. Interests Section.

Each guest was given a bag containing: three VHS tapes, with the three parts of
Una Fuerza Poderosa (A Powerful Force); the digital version of the book Como
Llego la Noche (How Night Fell) by Hubert Matos; Temas Clasicos (Classic
Themes) by Carlos Franqui; the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and a
portable radio with accessories.

On 9 January 2003 a U.S. Interests Section vehicle delivered a cardboard box to
a private residence in Pinar Del Rio, with material to furnish the "independent"
libraries of Reynaldo Nunez Vargas - known as the Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Library -
and of Rene Onate. They delivered 1,000 copies of the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights, 50 books and 2000 sheets of paper. They also delivered a box to
the home of Victor Rolando Arroyo Carmona, which contained 1000 copies of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 60 books and 1000 sheets of paper.

On 16 January Cason took part in an activity held at Hector Palacios Ruiz's home
to launch the book Ojos Abiertos (Open Eyes), which gathered some of the
"award winning" pieces from the El Heraldo contest held in support of the
"independent libraries". A "special diploma" was given to Raul Rivero Castaneda
"as special recognition of his important work in the Independent Libraries of
Cuba." Raul Rivera Castaneda was also rewarded for his participation as a
member of the jury of the El Heraldo contest.

On 20-23 January Cason went on a tour through Santiago de Cuba and met with
three representatives of the "independent" libraries and press. Cason announced
that the Spanish embassy had received a container with more than 5,000 books
that would be distributed throughout the country. He offered the use of his own
home for anything they needed and instructed them to carry out acts of civil
disobedience. He delivered four boxes of books, radios, crayons, pens, office
materials and pamphlets.

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On 2 February Cason held a "Cuban cultural evening" which was attended by
"dissidents", U.S. businessmen based in Washington and other Americans who
had attended the Havana International Book Fair.

On 4 March Cason went to Pinar del Rio and visited the home of Arroya
Carmona, where he distributed a box of books among those present.

"Friends of Cuban Libraries"

Aleida Godinez Soler became Agent Vilma in January 2002. She remembers the
arrival of James Cason as Head of the U.S Interests Section in Havana:

"He arrived in Cuba on 10 September 2002 and was meeting with the
'dissidents' a week later, before making contact with the official authorities. He
received us in two groups, on the 16 th and 17 th . I was in the second group. As
was customary, radios and books were handed out. The first day that we met,
he said he was leaving the doors of his home open to the 'opposition' and that
he was willing to collaborate, support, finance and do whatever was necessary."
( 22 )

Aleida helped to distribute copies of the UN Universal Declaration of Human
Rights. Contrary to claims made by Robert Kent and the "Friends of Cuban
Libraries" it is not illegal for Cubans to own a copy of the UN Declaration of
Human Rights, a document that was ratified by Cuba. Aledia was received at the
U.S.Interests Section in Havana by Christopher Sibilia "who was a CIA official,
someone who didn't make an effort to conceal himself". But someone who did
try to conceal himself was Robert Kent, who introduced himself to Aleida as
Robert Emmet:

"In February of 1999, an American named Robert Emmet got in touch with some
relatives of mine. This man was a messenger of Frank Calzon, from the Center
for a Free Cuba. He brought a package the size of a sofa, full of medicines,
toiletries, radios, flashlights, cameras, everything. He asked me to take it to Paul
Rivero, whom I knew already. He also wanted to go to the Literacy Museum in
Ciudad Libertad, but he asked my advice on how to dress, because he didn't
want to attract attention. He walked around in shorts, dressed up as an
American tourist. I told him this, and he put on a pair of pants and barely
opened his mouth.

He gave me money, in two parts. I remember that every time he was going to
give me money, he would excuse himself to go to the bathroom, because he
carried it in a money belt inside his pants. He gave me 500 dollars in cash: first
300, then 200 more, afterwards. He told me he wanted me to buy a motorcycle,
because he's seen me arrive on a bicycle. He also sent 100 dollars to Raul
Rivero, a camera, rolls of film, pens.

He introduced himself as a librarian. The 'independent libraries' project was
being developed. He was also interested in the 'independent' press, and how it
was coming along. He wanted to know what education was like in Cuba. At the
Literacy Museum, he asked for very precise details about how the literacy
campaign had been carried out. If he wasn't faking it, he was very moved by
what he saw. He even told me that literacy had been one of Castro's great

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achievements. I have a photo with him taken that day, on February 24. Fie
wanted us to find out where the main leaders of the Revolution lived and take
photographs of the outside of their homes. That's why he gave me the camera.
He was particularly interested in Carlos Lage. People abroad were saying that
Lage could replace Fidel.

He came on behalf of Frank Calzon. He gave me the numbers where I could
reach him, including his home number, and told me I could call him every
Sunday. Some months later, Calzon started sending me money regularly,
through different messengers." (23)

Another account of Aleida's meeting with Robert Kent / Emmet can be found on
the National Library website:

"In February 1999 I received a visit from a U.S. citizen who, despite being
named Robert Kent, told me that his name was Robert Emmet. He introduced
himself to me as a close friend of Cuban-American Frank Calzon, former agent of
the Central Intelligence Agency and a resident in the U.S. At that first meeting
and only that once did he say that he was a librarian at a public library in New
York, although after some hours talking with him, I could understand that his job
or profession had nothing to do with his trip to Havana or with the reasons which
brought him: to spend money in the Cuban capital coming from terrorists hands.

When he told me he had several things to give me, sent by that common friend,
I got my hopes up; since I have always thought highly of libraries I imagined
that the least I could get was a good book.

Nevertheless, while I naively waited for my imaginary books my surprise grew.
Robert Kent came to Cuba, among other things to plan an attack. I listened
patiently, extended my arms, and took the technical equipment brought from
the United States in order to stake out the place where the deed would be
perpetrated. That was my objective, to listen to him and avoid with my action
the murder of the Vice President of the Council of Ministers. And not because of
his importance, since I would have done the same thing for the most humble
human being.

We talked that first time for several hours and the following days. He was
interested in knowing what the domestic counterrevolution thought, although he
became engrossed in saying opposition, dissidence, the blockade which
strangely he also called embargo. He wanted to know who I thought could
replace Fidel Castro. He was interested in knowing about the so-called
"independent journalists." He asked me to bring him to deliver money and
orders to the salaried mercenaries he interviewed. We passed those February
days this way.

He wanted me to bring him to different places, among them the Literacy
Museum and to David's house, who was another former State security agent
like me. At the Literacy Museum we took a photo together. We both brought our
cameras. He saved his memories and I did the same, despite what he is now
saying that I have dug up files, which is unnecessary because he knows very
well that I have an excellent memory.

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Kent prefers to hide his recurring stupidity and never has said that our trip
ended with lunch at the Chinese Sichuan Restaurant located in Carlos III Plaza
in the heart of the city where we were met by David. Kent ate some delicious
rice and shrimp enchiladas accompanied by his Cuban beer and also never said
that he used the money they gave him to come to Cuba to give to the
opposition to pay for the pleasures of two revolutionaries who joked for years
about people like him, who refuse to recognize our talent, our truth and strong
politics.

Our goodbye lunch was on February 24, 1999. I'm telling you because it is good
that you know what Kent-Emmet's intentions are; that in spite of this he is the
head of an organization called Friends of Cuban Libraries, although this refers to
so-called Independent Libraries, which all are shameful frauds since they are an
invention to justify the money that the USAID-NED distributes and that it is
stolen from the U.S. taxpayers to maintain an army of moral criminals within
Cuba, in which a large majority don't work or have a minimum of culture
(because they don't want it, of course). Reason enough to think that with
friends like Robert Kent, you don't need enemies."

So, who is Robert Kent? By day he is a mild mannered librarian working at the
New York Public Library. But at night he transforms into the leader of "The
Friends of Cuban Libraries" (FCL), an organisation dedicated to supporting
"independent libraries" and "intellectual freedom" in Cuba. FCL claims to be an
independent organisation but, by Kent's own admission, his visits to Cuba were
paid for by Freedom House and the Center for a Free Cuba both of which are, in
turn, funded by the US government under Track 2 of the Torericelli Act, to
support "dissidents" in Cuba.

The so-called Center for a Free Cuba, based in Washington D.C., was founded by
Frank Calzon in October 1997, with the explicit aim of working toward the
overthrow of the Cuban Revolution. The Center for a Free Cuba carries out its
anti Cuban programmes with funding from the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), as
well as from private donations. In 2002 alone, the Center For a Free Cuba
received over two million dollars from USAID.

All of its programmes have been aimed at spreading propaganda in Cuba with
regard to a supposed political transition and stimulating a market economy, as
well as giving support to internal groups such as "independent libraries" and
encouraging the international community to play an active role in the promotion
of subversive activities on the island. The material aid given to the "independent
libraries" has included personal computers, laptops, typewriters, fax machines,
photocopiers, short wave radios, cameras, tape recorders and other office
supplies, as well as books and journals.

This was what bought Robert Kent, aka Robert Emmet, to Cuba in February
1999. Kent / Emmet was a messenger for Frank Calzon (a US citizen, but Cuban
by birth) who, until 1997, was the official director of the Cuban programmes run
by Freedom House. Calzon had previously sent emissaries to Cuba in July 1995,
January 1996, April 1996 and August 1997. Their instructions were to make
contact with the "independent libraries", hand over money and materials, and
take photographs of strategic locations. Kent's assignment was to meet up with

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Aleida Godinez Soler and hand over cash and supplies. He was also told to
photograph the home of Carlos Lage. Media alerted the state Security Services
and Kent / Emmet was deported from Cuba on the grounds of suspected
espionage.

So Robert Kent is not as innocent as he likes to appear. His "Friends of Cuban
Libraries" receive US government funding and his trips to Cuba were not just to
support "independent libraries" but also to gather intelligence about Cuba's
leaders. Given the many assassination plots against Castro and other
government figures, this had potentially serious implications. After Kent was
deported from Cuba in 1999, Frank Calzon had to use some new intermediaries.
In June 2000, for example, Romanian citizen Cornel Ivanciuc and Polish citizen
Anna Krystna travelled to Cuba after meeting in Washington with USAID and the
State Department. The aim of these meetings was to study aid for "independent
libraries". Frank Calzon instructed them to travel to Cuba as emissaries. They
brought material aid for the "independent libraries", a mission which was
organised and funded by Freedom House. More emissaries were sent to Cuba by
Calzon in November 2000 and January 2001.

Reporters Without Borders

Nestor Baguer Sanchez Galarraga became Agent Octavio and established the
Cuban Association of Independent Journalists (APIC):

"Reporters Without Borders praised me everywhere and sent me money. That
was incredible. As soon as news got out that I was in charge of the Agency and
was handing out money, the 'journalists' started descending on my house like
ants. Do you know I had no idea that Cuba had so many journalists' hidden in
the most unlikely jobs and professions? I had a correspondent who was a railway
worker in Cienfuegos, who had spent his life hammering away at the railway
lines." (24)

In September 1995 the director of Reporters Without Borders, Robert Menard,
presented Nestor with paper, typewriter ribbons, a dozen pens and 1000 dollars
to fund his so-called press agency. Nestor also had many meetings at the U.S.
Interests Section:

"I had to visit the U.S. Interests Section so many times that you wouldn't be
able to fit all of the meetings in one book. I have to confess one thing: every
time I set foot in there, I would ask myself, 'What sort of independent journalists
are we? Independent from what?' The U.S. Interests Section chose the topics for
the pseudo-journalists. And not only that, but also, after they were done writing
them, before putting them out, they would go to the Interests Section so they
could go over them in case there was something in there that was politically
inconvenient for them. They would submit them after they had been approved.
They complained about censorship in Cuba and I watched them bow down to the
censorship of the United States." (25)

Manuel David Orrio del Rosario became Agent Miguel in November 1992. He
joined the Cuban Association of "Independent Journalists" (APIC) in 1995. The
APIC offices were in the home of Julio Suarez. The director of Reporters Without
Borders (RWB), Robert Menard, came to Havana to question Suarez about

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money that he was supposed to have distributed, but had kept for himself
instead. Reporters Without Borders gave major support to the Cuban Council -
the joining together of numerous "opposition" organisations, funded by the U.S.
government via the Centre for a Free Cuba, Freedom House and others. In a
"certificado" dated August 1996:

"The undersigned, Robert Menard, general secretary of Reporters Without
Borders, certifies that our organisation lends financial aid to the independent
press agency Cuba Press. Last August 30, Reporters Without Borders delivered
the sum of 900 dollars to Raul Rivero, director of Cuba Press, so that said sum
could be distributed among the journalists of this agency". (26)

In July 2002 RWB sent 1650 dollars to Ricardo Gonzalez, "a Reporters Without
Borders correspondent." On 19 December 2002 Revista Cuba, the magazine of
the "independent journalists", was launched at the home of James Cason. On 27
February 2003, Ricardo Gonzalez wrote a letter to Robert Menard, in which he
discussed the payments that RWB were making to the "independent journalists"
and the literature they were producing and distributing. Manuel attended a
meeting at the U.S. Interests Section:

"Jeffrey de Laurentis asked about repression of 'dissidents', while Louis Nigro
said he had visited a number of 'independent libraries' in Camaguey, and noted
a shortage of literature. At the end of the meeting, all of the participants were
given small Tecsun brand radios as gifts. I met James Cason at the home of
Gonzalo Gallegos. We met in the 'library'. The main reason behind the meeting
was to introduce us to the principal 'dissident' leaders. The people there asked
for money - 'support' - and once again we heard about the 'independent
libraries', and the press related projects." (27)

Pedro Luis Veliz Martinez and Ana Rosa Jorna Calixto became Agents Ernesto
and Gabriela in 1996. They made contact with Leopoldo Fernandez Pujals who
founded the Elena Mederos Foundation, a "humanitarian" organisation. He has
provided funds to Reporters Without Borders as a means of supporting
"independent journalists". Pedro and Ana also worked with Ricardo Bofill who
created the Cuban Committee for Human Rights. The French journalists Renaud
Delourme and Dominique Louis Nasplezes contacted Bofill on the instructions of
Armando Valladeres (author of Against All Hope), to carry out international
defamations of Cuba.

Pedro and Ana were given instructions to create an "independent library". The
instructions came through three different channels almost simultaneously: the
U.S. Interests Section, the Miami Medical Team Foundation and Cuban
Democratic Action.

Conclusion

The research which I carried out in Cuban libraries in October 2005 was
designed to test the allegation made by Robert Kent and "The Friends of Cuban
Libraries" that George Orwell and other authors are banned in Cuba. My
investigations have revealed that this is not the case and there are no banned
authors in Cuba. In this chapter I have examined the presence of some other
English language authors in Cuban libraries and, vice versa, the presence of

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some well known Cuban authors in British libraries. I have also considered the
development and current condition of the Cuban state run library service and the
network of bookshops selling books at affordable prices. Finally, I have
examined in some detail the so-called "independent" libraries and I have
established that they are totally dependent on the U.S. Interests Section in
Havana for their funding, support and direction. I have also considered the roles
played by Robert Kent, the "Friends of Cuban Libraries", Robert Menard and
Reporters Without Borders.

"Four Legs Good, Two Legs Bad" was the mantra first adopted by the newly
liberated inhabitants of Animal Farm. Robert Kent has adopted a similar mantra
for Cuba - "Independent Libraries Good, State Libraries Bad." This is a classic
piece of Nineteen Eighty Four 'Newspeak' like 'War is Peace' and 'Slavery is
Freedom'. In reality Cuba's "independent libraries" are mercenaries in the pay of
the U.S. government and not dissidents in the true meaning of the word.
According to the dictionary a dissident is "one who disagrees or dissents". To
dissent is "to refuse to conform to a common doctrine, belief or conduct." This
leads Felipe Perez Roque to the conviction that:

"We are the real dissidents. It is the people of Cuba who have dared to dissent
from the commonly shared doctrine that this country should be a colony of the
United States, that this country could not be an independent nation, that there
was a manifest destiny that obliged a small country, located right next to a
major power, to desist from the 'insane' aspiration of its founding fathers to be
neither a colony of Spain nor a part of the United States.

We are the ones who dissent from the current world order. In the past, we
disagreed with and helped to fight colonialism, and apartheid; today, we
disagree with neo-liberalism, and the promotion of market forces and savage
capitalism as the means of ensuring the development and the rights of the
world's peoples. Therefore we, the Cuban people, are the dissidents. We are the
ones who refuse to conform with the uniform model of those who seek to impose
a single system on the world, a single way of living, a single model of conduct."
( 28 )

Unlike Wormwold, the reluctant spy in Graham Greene's Our Man in Havana,
Robert Kent (aka Robert Emmet) is a very eager spy for the US government and
it's Interests Section in Havana. I started this chapter with the opening
paragraph from Animal Farm and I end it with the final paragraph from this
classic novel. In the same way that the animals looked from pig to man and
back again and could not tell the difference, so if we look from Robert Kent the
librarian to Robert Emmet the spy it is impossible to spot the difference:

"Twelve voices were shouting in anger, and they were all alike. No question,
now, what had happened to the faces of the pigs. The creatures outside looked
from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again: but already it
was impossible to say which was which".

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References

(1) The idea for the title of this chapter (suggested to me by Harriet Karsh)
came from Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi (2004). Set in Iran in the late
90's, this is the story of Azar Nafisi and seven young women - her former
students - who gathered at her house every Thursday to discuss forbidden
works of Western literature :

"If I were to choose a work of fiction that would most resonate with our lives in
the Islamic Republic of Iran, it would not be 'The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie' or
even '1984' but perhaps Nabakov's 'Invitation to a Beheading' or better yet,
'Lolita'. This, then, is the story of'Lolita' in Tehran, how 'Lolita' gave a different
colour to Tehran and how Tehran helped redefine Nabakov's novel, turning it
into this 'Lolita', our 'Lolita'."

I carried out the research for this chapter during a visit to Havana from 26
October - 1 November 2005. I visited the National Library, two public libraries,
three academic / research libraries, and over a dozen bookshops. I also went to
the open air book market at Plaza de Armas in Old Havana. And it was here, on
one of the many second hand book stalls that surround this beautiful public
square, that I saw a copy of Nabokov's Lolita.

(2) George Orwell (1945) Animal Farm

(3) G. Cabrera Infante (1994J Mea Cuba

(4) Isaac Saney (2004) Cuba - A Revolution in Motion

(5) - (6) Robert Kent (5 August 2005) Open Letter to the International Library
Community

(7) Joseph Mutti (2005) Gay and Lesbian Cuba |n Havana and the Best of Cuba

(8) Reinaldo Arenas (1993) Before Night Falls

(9) Ian Lumsden (1996) Machos, Maricones and Gays: Cuba and Homosexuality

(10) Rhonda L. Neugebauer, (2002) "Payment for Services Rendered": US-
funded Dissent and the "Independent Libraries Project" in Cuba

(11) Silvia Martinez Puentes (2004) Cuba beyond our dreams

(12) - (28) Rosa Miriam Elizalde and Luis Baez (2003) The Dissidents

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Library Services for Newcomers to Canada:
Embracing Cultural Diversity

Kendra Bender (MLIS student. School of Library &
Information Studies, University of Alberta, CANADA)

Excerpt from the Canadian Library Association 2007 Students Article Contest
Press Release states: "The second runner-up is Kendra Bender for "Library
Services for Newcomers to Canada: Embracing Cultural Diversity". Kendra is a
student in the MLIS program at the School of Library and Information Studies at
the University of Alberta. Comments on this entry were that it incorporates both
personal experience and a professional research approach, it was well-written,
timely and focuses on Canada. Kendra will also receive a cash prize courtesy of
the Wosk Family and a choice of CLA publications." Full press release here:
http://www.cla.ca/awards/student2007.html

Prior to my LIS education, I worked at a drop-in centre for immigrants in
Saskatoon. On a daily basis, I was approached with questions: Where can I find
information about employment? How do I get a driver's license? Where can I
find resources to help me learn English? The information needs of newcomers to
Canada are vast. Through my work experience, I gained an understanding of
how extraordinarily difficult it is for immigrants to make sense of the language,
customs, and political infrastructure in a new country.

Immigration to Canada by individuals whose first language is not English is
steadily on the rise. Many immigrants come to Canada to find meaningful, well-
paid employment and the opportunity to have more freedom for themselves and
their families. 111 Today, more than 10% of the over 32 million Canadians speak a
language other than English or French in their homes, and approximately 20% of
the population is foreign-born. 121 However, despite the growing number of
immigrants to Canada, average expenditures for multilingual materials in
Canadian libraries are less than 2%. 121

It takes time for emerging immigrant communities to "get organized, have a
presence and make their needs known to public institutions", but libraries can
identify and communicate with these populations through immigrant advocacy
organizations. 111 The agency that I worked for, for example, often provides a link
between newcomers and the public library. Library tours are incorporated into
programming and librarians are invited to the drop-in centre to speak about
information services and local history.

Surrey Public Library, which serves a community of 56 ethnic groups, anticipated
a growth of ethnic communities nearly 20 years ago. 121 They created a "vision of
the Library as an inclusive and vibrant reflection of the community" by forming
working relationships with local multicultural agencies and leaders from ethnic
groups, hiring individuals with a variety of language skills, and conducting cross-

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cultural workshops for all staff. 121 These actions reflect CLA's Library Services to
Linguistic and Ethnic Minorities position statement, which recognizes that
libraries have a unique and necessary role to promote "cross-cultural
understanding in the interest of a harmonious and integrated society". 121 This
statement also advocates that libraries should "reflect the multicultural nature of
Canadian society as is appropriate to the collections and services provided for
their client groups". 121

One of the most ethnically diverse cities in Canada is Richmond, B.C. with an
immigrant population of about 54%. 121 To develop services to meet the needs of
this growing multicultural community, Richmond Public Library (RPL) established
a Multilingual Services Department in 2000. 1121 RPL strongly supports the notion
of community partnerships, which help to promote library services and allow for
resource-sharing in the offering of programs. 1111 Many multilingual programs and
services were introduced at RPL including a new immigrant orientation program,
an employment trends series, and ESL conversation circles. 1121 Similarly,
Edmonton Public Library (EPL) recently posted a Multicultural Community
Development Intern position designed to help meet the needs of significant
immigrant populations, and to increase the awareness and use of the library's
collection among these communities. 1121

For immigrants whose first language is not English, the ability to understand
services offered in libraries and to express themselves in either of the official
languages varies from person to person. 1141 Some people may not be familiar
with library terminology, or know how to ask appropriate questions of library
staff. 1121 However, these individuals share the same right to access information
with others whose language skills are more proficient. 1121 The CLA Library
Services to Linguistic and Ethnic Minorities position statement mirrors this
sentiment: "all citizens of Canada should have equitable access to library
materials and services which will meet their needs regardless of their language
[or] cultural background". 1121 Outside of Canada, equal access to information by
immigrants has recently been strongly reinforced by a resolution passed at the
American Library Association (ALA) mid-winter meeting in Seattle. The resolution
boldly states that the U.S. library community "opposes all attempts at the local,
state and federal level to restrict access to information by immigrants" and
"supports the protection of each person's civil liberties, regardless of that
individual's nationality, residency, or status". 1121

At the public library in Saskatoon, I would often encounter the newcomers I had
met through my job. Many would be with their children; others would be using
the public computers. I would see the same individuals on numerous occasions,
so I sensed that visits to the library were part of their routine. In 2001, 30% of
non-native Canadians used the Toronto Public Library (TPL) weekly, which was
more than double the rate of library use by native-born Canadians. 1121 The same
year, TPL's multilingual circulation increased by 28%, reaching 12% of total
circulation. 1221 34 of the 40 languages collected at TPL were spoken by staff with
collection responsibilities and library pages were recognized as one of their
"great untapped resources" to compensate for some of the remaining language
gaps. 1211 However, collection development can be challenging for multicultural
communities, as newcomers may move many times within Canada before they
settle. 1221

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To help public libraries improve collections and services for Russian immigrants
in Toronto, Dali (2004) conducted a study of the reading habits of this
population. Unfortunately, the majority of respondents sampled in her survey
were not satisfied with the collection of Russian-language books in their public
libraries. However, the public library was characterized as a "place to spend
time", where English language materials about the history and customs of their
new country could be accessed for free. 1231 Accessing materials for free was a
theme that reoccurred in Dali's research. Improved income did not seem to
reduce the respondents' inclination to use the public library for acquiring desired
Russian-language titles (if available), precisely because they were offered at no
cost. 1241

To develop multilingual collections, librarians need "professional curiosity, an
ambition to build [a multilingual] collection best suited to the users and
knowledge of the language for which one is developing a collection". 1251 Libraries
must know the community for whom the collection is being developed and listen
to its members, recognizing that immigrant communities may be "well informed
about the latest titles, authors and popular trends in...contemporary
literature". 1251

Although recent library research related to immigrants in Canada seems to be
limited, several themes are evident: public libraries are being called to recognize
the realities of multiculturalism, provide cross-cultural training for existing
librarians and support staff, employ a diverse workforce, and develop
partnerships with immigrant and ethnic organizations for resource-sharing and
understanding. Many immigrants suffer from information poverty by not having
ready access to historical or contemporary materials in their first languages, or
by not possessing the ability to fully understand the many English-language
materials offered by public libraries. Nonetheless, it is clear that many
immigrants are using the public library frequently to support their adjustment to
life in Canada. In response, the library community must continue to embrace
cultural diversity and strive to equitably meet the needs of multi-ethnic
populations.

Bibliography

American Library Association, "ALA Council passes resolution in support of

immigrant rights to access to information," American Library

Association, http://www.ala.orq/ala/pressreleases2007/februarv2007/irr07.htm

Canadian Library Association, "Library Services to Linguistic and Ethnic
Minorities," Canadian Library Association, http://www.cla.ca/about/minor.htm

Dali, Keren. "Reading by Russian-speaking immigrants in Toronto: use of public
libraries, bookstores, and home book collections International Information and
Library Reviews 36, no. 4 (2004): 341-66.

Edmonton Public Library, "Job Posting," Edmonton Public Library,
http://www.epl.ca/EPLJobPostinqNo.cfm7id-IQ-01-07

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Information for Social Change Issue 26

Jang, Wendy. "Multilingual Services at Richmond Public Library." Feliciter 49, no.
3 (2003): 158-60.

Jang, Wendy, et al. "Cross Canada Checkup: Multicultural Services in Public
Libraries." Feliciter 50, no. 1 (2004): 26-27.

Kim, Mijin. "Introducing Multicultural Resources and Services at Library and
Archives Canada." Feliciter 50, no. 1 (2004): 19-20.

Mylopoulos, Chryss. "New Faces on the Block: Emerging Immigrant Communities
and How to Identify Them." Feliciter 50, no. 1 (2004): 12-13.

Order, Norman. "Growing into a Changing City." Library Journal 128, no. 10
(2003): 40-42.

Prasada-Kole, Usha. "Library services to Indians living abroad, specifically in
Canada." Resource Sharing and Information Networks 11, no. Vi (1996): 107-
24.

Statistics Canada, "Population by year, province and territory," Statistics
Canada, http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo02a.htm

Skrzeszewski, Stan. "From multiculturalism to cosmopolitanism: world fusion
and libraries." Feliciter 47, no. 4 (2001): 14-16.

Skrzeszewski, Stan. "Library services to Turkish communities in Canada."
Resource Sharing and Information Networks 12, no. 2 (1997): 89-93.

m Stan Skrzeszewski, "Library services to Turkish communities in Canada,"
Resource Sharing and Information Networks 12, no. 2 (1997): 90.

121 Mijin Kim, "Introducing Multicultural Resources and Services at Library and
Archives Canada," Fe liciter 50, no. 1 (2004): 19; Statistics Canada, "Population
by year, province and territory," Statistics Canada,

http://www40.statcan.ca/IQl/cst01/demo02a.htm (accessed March 29, 2007).
m Stan Skrzeszewski, "From multiculturalism to cosmopolitanism: world fusion
and libraries," Feliciter 47, no. 4 (2001): 15.

m Chryss Mylopoulos, "New Faces on the Block: Emerging Immigrant
Communities and How to Identify Them," Feliciter 50, no. 1 (2004): 12.

152 Wendy Jang et al., "Cross Canada Checkup: Multicultural Services in Public
Libraries," Feliciter 50, no. 1 (2004): 26.

^ Ibid., 26.

m Canadian Library Association, "Library Services to Linguistic and Ethnic
Minorities," Canadian Library Association, http://www.cla.ca/about/minor.htm
(accessed March 29, 2007).

121 Ibid.

121 Jang et al., 26.

1121 Wendy Jang, "Multilingual Services at Richmond Public Library," Feliciter 49,
no. 3 (2003): 158.

1111 Jang et al., 26; Jang, 158-159.

1121 Jang, 159.

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1111 Edmonton Public Library, "Job Posting," Edmonton Public Library,
http://www.epl.ca/EPLJobPostinqNo.cfm7id-IO-01-Q7 (accessed March 29,
2007).

^ Usha Prasada-Kole, "Library services to Indians living abroad, specifically in
Canada," Resource Sharing and Information Networks 11, no. Vi (1996): 111.
^ Ibid., 111.

^ Ibid., 111.

1121 Canadian Library Association.

1121 American Library Association, "ALA Council passes resolution in support of
immigrant rights to access to information," American Library Association,
http://www.ala.orq/ala/pressreleases2007/februarv2007/irr07.htm (accessed
March 29, 2007).

1121 Norman Order, "Growing into a Changing City," Library Journal 128, no. 10
(2003): 41.
m Ibid., 41.

1211 Ibid., 42.

1221 Ibid., 42.

1221 Keren Dali, "Reading by Russian-speaking immigrants in Toronto: use of
public libraries, bookstores, and home book collections," 36, no. 4 (2004): 353-
4.

1241 Ibid., 354-355.

1251 Ibid., 357.

1261 Ibid., 357.

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